Ilona Maher has made a positive impact on the U.S. women's rugby Olympic team with her powerful performances and uplifting social media posts.

U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher will start for the Bristol Bears on Saturday after missing a game last week because of a facial injury. The 28-year-old Maher, who helped lead the U.S. to the bronze medal in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics,

From Paris 2024 and the SI Swimsuit cover to “Dancing with the Stars” and a contract with the Bristol Bears, Ilona Maher’s life has changed dramatically in less than a year. She tells CNN how it feels to become “America’s sweetheart.

Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher is on the mend after a rough collision during a recent match with her new team, the Bristol Bears.

Maher included a video of herself holding up a bag of ice to her face. She also lip-synched, “Been better, Carrie Ann.” (The athlete previously said the phrase last year after Dancing With The Stars judge Inaba asked why Maher was crying after she received tough feedback on her performance.)

BRISTOL, England (AP) — U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher made her debut for the Bristol Bears women's team in front of a record home crowd of 9,240 fans on Sunday. But Maher, "the most followed rugby player on the planet,” could not prevent Bristol from losing 40-17 to defending champion Gloucester-Hartpury in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match.