Tag: Rugby sevens

Ilona Maher’s teary-eyed speech after winning a historic Olympic bronze medal is straight out of a movie

Not to be dramatic, but I would run through a brick wall for Ilona Maher.

Ilona Maher is having the time of her life at the Paris Olympics, and it’s seemingly because women’s rugby is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

After Maher hit a filthy stiff arm during this year’s games, word began to spread about Team USA’s women’s rugby sevens team. Their popularity even caught the eye of Jason Kelce, who was in France to watch the Olympics. Kelce eventually hooked up with Ilona and the team, promising to be a super fan, and the rest was history.

Maher took that momentum with her as Team USA battled Australia during an electric bronze medal game that ended in unbelievable walk-off fashion. The moment was so incredible that you couldn’t have scripted it if you tried. So, it’s only fitting that Ilona’s post-match speech about Team USA’s journey felt like it was straight out of a movie.

Here’s some of what she shared with tears in her eyes:

“In rugby, we say we’re just passing through the jersey and making the jersey better, and that’s always been my goal — to make this jersey better. Not just for me but for the other girls that are gonna come into the program.”

“And I want them to dream of being professional athletes. That’s what I feel like I’m giving them. Even if this is my last rugby game, I hope that there’s space for them to grow and thrive and that they experience this [because] I got to.”

@nbcwashington

You made that jersey better, @ilonamaher 🥹🫶 If you missed it, the U.S. women’s rugby team had a stunning finish over Australia at the #ParisOlympics – nabbing their first Olympic rugby sevens medal ever. #ParisOlympics2024 #Paris2024 #olympics #rugbyunion #RugbySevens #rugby #TeamUSA @usarugby

♬ original sound – NBC Washington – NBC Washington

Ilona also spoke about competing for her family and how “broken” she was after losing in her last Olympic competition, and I am now entirely unwell.

Not to be dramatic, but I would run through a brick wall for Ilona Maher.

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New Zealand’s women’s rugby team performed an exhilarating Haka after their gold medal win

New Zealand celebrated their women’s rugby gold with an electric Haka performance.

New Zealand’s women’s rugby team defended its gold medal in rugby sevens at the 2024 Paris Olympics and celebrated with a thrilling Haka.

On Tuesday, after New Zealand bested Canada 19-12 in the final and they received their gold medals, the entire team performed the Haka — a traditional Māori ceremonial dance. The dance has become more well known in the sports world for its use before games and after victories by New Zealand in rugby.

This rendition by New Zealand’s women’s rugby sevens team was quite electric, and the fans in Paris were treated to a thrilling show after the gold medal match.

Team USA women’s rugby sevens star Ilona Maher shared an awesome celebration photo after winning bronze

Now this is how you celebrate a historic Olympic win.

The United States women’s national rugby sevens team earned its place in the history books on Tuesday, becoming the first American team in the sport to ever medal at the Olympics.

The team’s 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medal came on an incredibly dramatic finish where Alex Sedrick sprinted across the field at the last second for the game-winning try.

Team USA’s breakout rugby sevens star Ilona Maher relished in her brand-new Olympics hardware.

She immediately posted a photo of her on social media biting her Olympic bronze medal with a caption that read, “Delicious.” 

That’s such a cool way to celebrate such a monumental win for your team on the global stage, as Maher and her teammates will forever be known as the first Americans to medal at the Olympic Games in women’s rugby sevens.

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Team USA earned its 1st-ever Olympic medal for women’s rugby sevens with an incredible last-second game winner

This is one of the coolest moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics so far.

The United States women’s national rugby sevens team achieved history on Tuesday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On an absolutely breathtaking cross-field run to a try for Team USA’s Alex Sedrick, the United States earned the bronze medal in women’s rugby sevens over Australia, the first time the team has ever medaled at the Olympic Games.

The 14-12 win for Team USA will go down in history books, as any team earning its first-ever Olympic medals have plenty of reason to celebrate.

However, Sedrick’s heroics to make it all the way across the field in front of the world and win it for her team feels like it could only happen in a movie.

We have a feeling Team USA rugby sevens fans will be revisiting this sensational highlight for years to come.

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Olympian Michaela Blyde fangirling about meeting her idol, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, is so wholesome

“Oh my God. We’re best friends!”

New Zealand Olympic rugby sevens player Michaela Blyde is a HUGE of fellow Olympian and decorated track and field star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

When I say huge fan, I mean Michaela could hardly keep it together at the mere thought of her idol following her on Instagram. In a new video, Blyde is downright giddy as she realizes that Fraser-Pryce followed her and commented on a recent reel she posted after she (perhaps jokingly) invited her to be friends.

“Oh my God. We’re best friends,” Michaela says before the video cuts to her receiving a message from Shelly-Ann and eventually getting help from her teammates to arrange a nearby meetup. Soon, a very excited (and barefoot) Michaela comes barreling down a Paris street and into the arms of an awaiting Shelly-Ann, who embraces her.

That’s amazing stuff, really. But that isn’t the end of the story. Shelly-Ann was in the stadium to see Michaela and New Zealand beat China during this year’s Games. You love to see it.

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Jason Kelce is now a women’s rugby sevens superfan thanks to Ilona Maher and Team USA

Jason Kelce and the USA women’s rugby sevens team is the duo we never knew we needed.

Jason Kelce is having the time of his life at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and he’s hamming it with the Team USA women’s rugby sevens team.

Jason and his wife Kylie went to Paris to watch the Olympic Games, and they already spent time watching the United States compete in women’s field hockey.

Now, Jason’s been hanging out with Ilona Maher and the USA women’s rugby sevens team, and the clips from his time in the Olympic village with the whole squad are genuinely tremendous. Maher recently asked him to be a super fan of the team (similar to the way women’s water polo has Flavor Flav), and he wholesomely agreed.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9-u7mYAl2c/?igsh=dDRwamF2djR5YXg4

But it gets better. At some point, Jason was arm wrestling — YES, ARM WRESTLING — with another player, Nicole Heavirland, and you have to see the clip to believe it.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9–Sj6SrjS/?igsh=MzBybWIyZzA1a2p5

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Olympics fans were fired up after Ilona Maher’s devastating stiff arm in U.S. women’s rugby sevens win vs. Japan

OH MY …

The U.S women’s rugby sevens team started off its Olympic Games in Paris with a dominant 36-7 win against Japan. And it was clear that Ilona Maher — an absolute star on TikTok, by the way — set the tone early for Team USA.

She channeled her inner Beast Mode in the process.

After Japan went up 7-0, it was all U.S. the rest of the way. And in the first half, Maher got the ball with some space and on her first carry of the match, the Burlington, Vt., native leveled a helpless Japanese defender and showed off the speed as she cruised past the try-line for the score.

But seriously, it was all about that stiff arm.

Derrick Henry would be proud about that one. It had U.S. fans fired up as well.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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France’s rugby sevens team did a choreographed dance after winning the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics

The France national rugby sevens team knows how to party.

The France national rugby sevens team won the gold on home turf on Saturday, as the team topped Fiji 28-7 to take the field.

You could tell how ecstatic the team was to take home the gold in Paris, as it’s just such a cool accomplishment to win at the Olympics with the home crowd roaring for you as you celebrate with your teammates.

The French rugby players were so happy with how Saturday’s match went that the team did a choreographed dance for the Stade de France crowd, reportedly to Will Smith’s beloved 1990s pop hit “Miami.”

Hey, if you take the gold, you dance the night away. Those are the rules.

It looks like the team had some dance practice before their winning routine, too.

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