Ilona Maher is absolutely destroying people on the pitch.
She's fierce off the pitch, too, with the latest encounter being a body-shaming social media troll.
The U.S. Olympic rugby player had a mic-drop response for a commenter on TikTok who wrote about the three-time All-American:
“I bet that person has a 30% BMI [body-mass index].”
Maher took to the platform to directly address what was intended as an insult.
“Hi, thank you for this comment."
“I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually a fact.”
She added that her BMI is around 30 percent, “29.3, to be exact."
Maher continued:
“I’ve been considered overweight my whole life."
She recalled a moment in high school when she saw on a physical form that she was considered overweight.
“I was so embarrassed to turn that in and have that written there."
“My whole life I’ve been this way.”
But then Maher said that through conversations with her dietitian, she realized that her BMI only gives her one piece of information and has nothing to do with her performance or health.
“I go off facts, and not just what pops up [in my mind]... like you do."
“We talked about BMI, and we talked about how it’s really not helpful for athletes.”
“BMI doesn’t tell you what I can do. It doesn’t tell you what I can do on the field. How fit I am. It’s just a couple of numbers put together."
“It doesn’t tell you how much muscle I have, or anything like that.”
She epically ended her PSA:
“I do have a BMI of 30. I am considered overweight."
“But alas, I’m going to the Olympics — and you’re not.”
Maher perfectly captioned her video:
"As long as haters keep saying dumb stuff, I'm gonna keep clapping back."
You can watch below.
Viewers of Maher's TikTok appreciated that she laid out the facts.
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
They were, however, especially grateful for the troll-ending burn.
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
@ilonamaher/TikTok
Maher and the U.S. women's rugby team made it all the way to the semi-finals before being knocked out by the defending Olympic champions, New Zealand.
The team later upset Australia 14-12 to take home the bronze, the first ever rugby medal for the Unites States.
Congrats on a stellar run. We're looking forward to next season... and more content!
@badgalriri/Instagram