Swimsuit

Watch Ilona Maher’s Hilarious Reaction to Being Named SI Swimsuit’s New Digital Cover Model

The Olympic medalist and content creator is known for her incredible sense of humor.

Cara O’Bleness

Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bellport, New York.
Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bellport, New York. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

In case you missed this morning’s announcement, Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher is officially SI Swimsuit’s September digital issue cover model. The 28-year-old athlete, who earned a bronze medal as part of the U.S. women’s national rugby team during the Paris Olympics this summer, was photographed by Ben Watts in Bellport, New York for her feature.

And as soon as the gorgeous cover image, which captured Maher in a chocolate brown bikini by MYRASWIM, hit Instagram, the Vermont native had a reel of her own at the ready, showcasing her characteristic wit and excitement over the opportunity.

Maher lounged casually in the shallow end of a pool in a red two-piece by Eres and a custom Brent Neale necklace. “Me now that I’m [a] Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model,” was written atop the video as Maher began to lip-synch to the following audio from Glee’s Sue Sylvester: “I will no longer be carrying photo ID. You know why? People should know who I am.”

“@si_swimsuit so excited to be part of the family!” Maher gushed in her caption. Meanwhile, tons of the athlete’s 3.8 million followers piped into the comments section with praise.

“So happy to have you in the si fam your pix are INSANE🔥🔥,” four-time brand model Katie Austin wrote.

“How cool is it to know we live in the same timeline as Ilona freakin Maher,” a fan gushed.

“Congratulations and thank you for advocating for ALL girls!” someone else added.

“Dang can you warn a girl before you drop such FIRE 🔥,” another follower quipped.

Learn more about Maher’s photo shoot here, and view her full gallery here.

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Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, O’Bleness loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.

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