Ilona Maher Shares the Mindset She Had Ahead of SI Swimsuit Runway Debut in Miami

We caught up with the Olympian ahead of her Swim Week catwalk—she echoed the same powerful sentiments on ‘TODAY with Jenna & Friends.’

Ilona Maher / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Ilona Maher is proof that stepping out of your comfort zone pays off. The Olympic rugby player first posed for SI Swimsuit in 2023, fresh off helping Team USA bring home its first-ever bronze medal in rugby sevens.

She made her debut with the brand as the cover star of the digital September issue, after working with Ben Watts in Bellport, N.Y. She then traded cleats for dancing shoes, earning runner-up on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars. Earlier this year, she joined the Bristol Bears for her first stint in Rugby 15s and made waves in England’s Premiership Rugby league—breaking viewership records and continuing to shift the narrative for young women in sports.

Ilona Maher / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

In the spring, Maher reunited with Watts for her first SI Swim print feature, posing on the sun-drenched beaches of Bermuda in a shoot that celebrated strength, confidence and authenticity.

Now, the content creator—known for her humor, honesty and body-positive messaging—is making yet another iconic, bold move: her runway debut at SI Swimsuit’s iconic annual Swim Week show in Miami.

Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by netta. Scarf by MANGO. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

We caught up with the 28-year-old ahead of Saturday night’s event, and she shares that the catwalk was completely new territory. “I think it is my first time walking the runway in any capacity,” Maher says. “I’ve been practicing a couple of times, but I also think it’s important to just be myself out there. Whatever I feel, I’m just gonna go with it.”

Read more about her runway moment here, and view the pics here.

Ilona Maher walks the runway for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show / John Parra/Getty Images/Sports Illustrated

The House of Maher podcast cohost compares the high-energy atmosphere to her experience on Dancing With the Stars, noting that it felt more like a choreographed performance—with lights, music and cheers—than anything on the rugby pitch. Her goal, she adds, is to encourage others to take similar leaps out of their comfort zone. “If they can just see somebody being so authentic in themselves,” she says, “hopefully it gives them permission to do that as well.”

On TODAY with Jenna & Friends earlier this week, Maher echoed that mindset, sharing why she intentionally avoids preparing physically for photoshoots. “I didn’t want to look back on my cover years from now and be like, ‘Wow, I wish I looked like that now.’ It’s like, ‘well, you didn’t even look like that then,’” she said. “I just wanted to be myself out there… I have no control to go on a weird diet. Life’s too short.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TODAY with Jenna & Friends (@jennaandfriends)

That same sense of pride and empowerment extends to how she views her body—and the way it’s represented in the magazine. “I love showing my body. I love showing what this body has done for me,” Maher says. “I’ve been to two Olympics. It does amazing things on the field, and it’s just perfect for what it does, and so strong.”