Ilona Maher reacts to Bristol Bears' latest win in the Rugby League as she gears up for first appearance for the team

Olympic medalist Ilona Maher recently reacted to Bristol Bears' latest win in the Premiership Rugby League (Women). The Bears defeated the Sale Sharks by a thumping margin of 54-17.

Maher uploaded an image of the scorecard on her Instagram story, with the caption:

"Big win for the Gals"

Screengrab of Ilona Maher's Instagram/@ilonamaher

Maher is currently in the UK, as she will join the Bristol Bears team in January for a three-month contract. She even visited one of their games in England a week ago.

The 28-year-old rugby player had previously taken part in the 33rd season of the dance reality show 'Dancing with the Stars'. Partnering up with Alan Bersten, Maher surprised one and all with her unique dance moves and went on to compete in the grand finale, where the dancing duo missed the coveted mirrorball trophy by a whisker.

Ilona Maher contributed to the historic performance of Team USA at the rugby sevens event in the Paris Olympics. Having missed out on a podium finish on the previous two occasions, the American women's team gave it their all as they entered the semifinals for the first time. Though they lost to the eventual winners from New Zealand, the USA created history by defeating Australia in the bronze medal bout, clinching their first-ever Olympic medal.

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Ilona Maher on receiving sponsorship after the Paris Olympics

Ilona Maher on receiving sponsorship after the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Ilona Maher has been consistently working towards making women's rugby a more popular sport. In a podcast session with BBC, Maher recounted the impact of the sponsorship her team received after the Paris Olympics.

"I think my teammates and I also knew the impact we could have on social media. And a lot of my teammates were posting and we were all doing our thing. But to get that $4 million sponsorship was really impactful because she saw our value, which we already knew we had,” she mentioned.

In another interview with the BBC, Maher talked about her social media presence, and how she used it to increase awareness and the popularity of women's rugby.

"Rugby is my thing, but I have had to create this whole other thing around me," she added. "Being on the pitch is amazing, but as a female athlete, as a female rugby player, I have to do 10 times as much off the field."

Maher is aiming for a great season with the Bristol Bears next year. This will also help her prepare for the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup, which is also touted to be held in England.