"I kind of used it as a business move" - Ilona Maher opens up about starting her content creation journey at Tokyo Olympics

Ilona Maher claimed her decision to share her Olympic experience on TikTok at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was a 'business' move. The two-time Olympian is the most followed rugby player globally and recently nabbed second place on Dancing With The Stars.

Maher made her debut for the USA Rugby Sevens in 2018, and after impressing for the next two years, she was named to her first Olympic team for the Tokyo Games. It was at those Olympics that the American shot to international fame thanks to her comical and fun videos on TikTok.

The 28-year-old had started to post videos on social media after being asked by a roommate, thinking it was fun. After her first TikTok did well, Maher realized it was a 'business' opportunity and decided to document her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Speaking during Rugby Union Weekly's Ilona Maher Special podcast, she said:

"Before the Olympics I went to a tournament in February and I was posting a couple of videos on Tiktok, just for fun cause my roommate was we should do this and people with 5000 players were like you are the TikTok girl and I was like that's crazy how much that has spread in just short of time and with just one video..so I kind of used it as a this is a business move like to do something at the Olympics, to get people in here." [8:50 onwards]

The Olympic bronze medalist further added she knew the Olympics was among the most-watched events in the world, thus a perfect place to build her brand.

"I knew that people are interested in the Olympics, I knew that's a place where you can build your brand and truly kind of cement yourself as an athlete," Ilona Maher added.

The 28-year-old's following witnessed another massive rise during the 2024 Paris Olympics and is currently the most followed rugby player in the world among both male and female athletes. She boasts 3.3 million followers on TikTok and 4.6 million followers on Instagram as of December 2024.

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Ilona Maher thinks rugby is stuck in 'old ways' and calls for a change in the sport

Rugby Sevens - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Ilona Maher in action (Source: Getty)

While rugby is among the least-watched sports in America, Ilona Maher has been able to carve out a name for herself through social media and believes she is inspiring the next generation of athletes, suggesting the sport and fellow athletes to adopt similar methods.

Speaking during the aforementioned podcast, she said:

"I think rugby is, in many ways, stuck in the old ways - on the field you have just got to work and that's where it stops. But we have to grow as the world changes and as society changes. We want to get more players into the game - where are those players? They're on TikTok. They're scrolling the apps, they're watching my little videos and going 'oh, look at this girl play rugby'."

The 28-year-old scored three ties for the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She scored tries in all of their group-stage matches at the 2024 Paris Olympics before leading them to victory in the bronze medal match against Australia.