Ilona Maher makes her feelings known on teammate Christiana Balogun's performance in Bristol Bears' win over Harlequins

Ilona Maher was full of praise of teammate Christiana Balogun, who became the Thatchers Cider Pick of the Match after her stellar performance in the Bristol Bears' clash against the Harlequins. Maher and her team claimed a 19-10 victory on Friday.

Maher, who played with the US women's rugby sevens team at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won her first bronze medal, moved to the UK to play in the Premiership Women's Rugby on a three-month contract. Having made her debut as a substitute last month, Maher suffered a nose injury in just her third game.

Back in her best form against the Harlequins, the 28-year-old played for 73 minutes and helped her side earn a 19-10 win. The match was the Bears' final of the 2024-25 season but the team's playoffs advancement will only depend on the fifth-placed Exeter Chiefs, who still have one game in hand.

After the Bears' win on Valentine's Day, tackler Christiana Bolagun was honored as the Pick of the Match. Sharing the news on her Instagram stories, Maher hailed Balogun as the best tackler.

"I know I'm biased but @christianabalogun is one of the best tacklers in the world. And you can quote me on that," she captioned.

Ilona Maher lauds fellow Bears player Christiana Balogun; Instagram - @ilonamaher

For Friday's game, not only were her sister and her mother present, but activist Malala Yousafzai was also in attendance to support the Olympian.

On Malala's Instagram stories, she posted a picture with Maher and wrote a heartfelt note for her.

"Best Valentine's Day of my life: seeing my first rugby game and meeting Ilona Maher"

Maher has amassed 4.9 million followers on social media and over 3 million on TikTok, becoming the most followed rugby player. She gained global fame for being a body positivity advocate and breaking stigmas around women's athletes put in a box.

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Ilona Maher shared some tips for female athletes to grow their brand on social media

Maher at the Harlequins v Bristol Bears - Premiership Women's Rugby - (Source: Getty)

Ilona Maher grew her social family with her unique content-creation skills and skits. Her unmatched humor and comments on various topics have helped make her popular on social media. In a recent Instagram post, she shared some tips for her fellow athletes about how they can grow on social media.

“So many female athletes ask me, 'Oh I want to grow on social media like you; what's your tips and tricks? Can you please teach me?' And I want all of them to grow. I want all of them to grow. And my advice to you all is to just post it. Whatever it is just post it. I found success just putting something out there. It could be a video that I don’t think’s going to do well. I'm going to put it out there. Because, surprisingly, it will.”

Maher began creating content at the Tokyo Olympics, where she participated with the US women's rugby team but missed out on a podium finish.