Ilona Maher sends heartwarming message to Paris Olympics teammate Kristen Thomas on her rugby retirement

American union rugby player Ilona Maher reacted to her teammate Kristen Thomas' retirement from the sport. Maher competed along with Thomas for the national team at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics (as an alternate).

Additionally, they also won the team bronze medal together at the French capital. Just a few months after this tremendous success, Thomas decided to hang up her boots at the age of 31.

Reacting to her teammate's retirement, Ilona Maher shared an appreciation post (by USA Rugby) on her stories. In her caption, she thanked Thomas for her contribution to the team and wrote:

"Thank you for everything @kristhomas11"

Screenshot of Maher's Instagram story for Thomas' retirement (Source: @ilonamaher on Instagram)

Further reacting to one of Thomas' touchdowns, Maher wrote in her stories:

"@kristhomas11 may be saying goodbye to rugby but this clip will live on forever"

Screenshot of Maher's Instagram story (Source: @ilonamaher on Instagram)

Besides her Paris Olympics medal, Kristen Thomas also won a silver medal with the national team during the 2015 Pan American Games. She also competed in the rugby 15's team at the 2017 Can-Am series and the 2017 Rugby World Cup.

Emily Scarratt shares her opinion on what Ilona Maher's move to the PWR signifies for the league

Maher during the Bears vs Leinster match in round 1 of the Champions Cup (Image via: Getty Images)

English rugby player Emily Scarratt recently opened up about the benefits that Ilona Maher would bring to Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR). The center and fullback plays for Loughborough Lightning in the league which is currently seventh in the standings with two wins and six defeats.

In an interview, Scarratt stated that Maher's recruitment to the league is a prime example of the growing fame of the league. She also shed light on the changing dynamics of rugby fans and mentioned that the American will be quite successful during her time in the league. She said (via BBC):

"Additions like Ilona Maher prove how good this PWR league is. I think what we have seen most recently and not just in rugby, is people follow people. With the rush of social media, they don’t necessarily tune into a team or country. So I think she is going to do amazing things just by being here."

Ilona Maher's Bristol Bears is scheduled to face Scarratt's Lightning on February 1. The Bears have already defeated the Scarratt's side earlier in the season by a convincing margin of 46-19.