Ilona Maher is making her impact across the pond!
The Olympic rugby bronze medalist made her debut on the pitch in England on Sunday, Jan. 5 — and it resulted in the Bristol Bears having to change stadiums to accommodate her fans.
Organizers moved the match from a smaller venue to Ashton Gate, where a crowd of 9,240 spectators took in the match against defending champion Gloucester-Hartpury, according to The Associated Press.
Maher — who first entered as a sub in the 61st minute — played 20 minutes with the team before the Bears suffered a 40-17 loss in the Premiership Women’s Rugby league match.
Ilona Maher at the USA House in Paris on July 31, 2024.
Joe Scarnici/Getty
Afterwards, the star offered her take on adjusting to playing rugby 15s for the first time since 2021. (Maher and Team USA played rugby 7s in the Paris Summer Olympics, where they ultimately placed third behind winner New Zealand and runner-up Canada.)
“I was just trying to watch and understand,” Maher, 28, told reporters, per The Guardian. “I think each game I am going to learn more and more. You do learn a lot by losing but also it puts a fire under you for the next game.”
In December 2024, the Olympian announced that she had signed a three-month contract with the Bristol team in a hilarious video on social media.
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In the video, Maher proudly wore a Bears uniform and shared her excitement in joining the iconic league. She also joked about her new team’s mascot — and England’s cold temps.
“Are there actually bears here? Because I don’t know what to…are grizzly bears the nice ones? Black bears are the mean ones right?,” Maher wondered aloud. “Just a question — is it gonna be this cold the whole time? It’s a little, little chilly,” she asked the crew, who had no response.
The news came less than a week after she finished second on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars. Maher was bested by The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei, who won the season, while fellow Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik came in fourth overall.
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The post U.K. Rugby Team Moved Stadiums to Accommodate Olympian llona Maher’s Debut first appeared on Rugby 247.
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-01-07 19:30:53
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