Ilona Maher Loves Her Body On Sports Illustrated Cover

Ilona Maher has a simple message for anyone who’s wondering if it’s “tough” for her to be photographed in a swimsuit.

The bronze-winning Olympic rugby player recently covered Sports Illustrated, before going on to walk at the Miami Swim Show last week.

On a recent episode of the Today show, Ilona said that she was once asked if it was “tough” being in a swimsuit. In response, she said, “I love it. I love showing my body. I love showing what this body has done for me.”

“I’ve been to two Olympics now. It does amazing things on the field. It’s just perfect for what it does and so strong,” she continued.

“I think other girls seeing that, and feeling like, ‘Oh my gosh, I look like her, I have the frame of her’ not only has helped me and made me feel more confident, I think it helps others,” she added. “You can be just as confident, feel as beautiful as I do.”

Ilona further said she did “zero prep” for the shoot, explaining, “I don’t want to look back on my cover years from now and be like, ‘Wow, I wish I looked like that now.’ Well, you didn’t even look like that then. I want to just be myself out there.”

“I have very little control to go on a weird diet. I cannot do that. Life’s too short,” she concluded.