Ilona Maher is getting candid about her hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics.
The rugby star, 28, opened up about the subject while chatting exclusively with Parade amid her partnership with TJ Maxx and their recently launched You Sponsored campaign. She previously competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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“I’m definitely going to try to [compete],” she says. “I think that playing in a home Olympics would be amazing. Not many people get to do it ever, [it ’s] such a small population. So I’m excited. I think I’m going to have to maybe take some time off and then get back into it. But I just love it. I really hope that I get to play again. I hope my body keeps up with me. I hope I stay fit and ready to go.”
Though the Summer Games are years away, Maher goes on to tell Parade that she’s excited to take the field at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which takes place in England this August.
“I’m looking forward to the World Cup, actually. So I’m going to be right in there and playing some more rugby,” she says. “And I’m looking forward to going home soon. I’m going to just chill out with my family. But I don’t know, so much has happened. Even with this TJ Maxx sponsorship — I get to work with TJ Maxx. I love it. There’s so many other things I want to do.”
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Maher is one of five co-sponsors who are a part of the company’s new You Sponsored campaign, a program that brings sponsorships to everyday women for being exactly who they already are: True Originals. As part of the first-of-its-kind initiative, TJ Maxx is awarding 10 women custom sponsorships worth $20,000 to amplify their unique voices and fuel their next move.
Signing onto a campaign that champions women for being true to who they are was a no-brainer for the bronze medalist — especially since Maher prides herself on being “very authentic” online and in real life.
Related: Ilona Maher Hopes to Get Into Acting — and Has Ideas of What She Wants to Play! (Exclusive)
“A lot of times, especially for women, I think we’re told to tone it down or to not be truly as much of ourselves. And I’ve said no to that,” Maher tells Parade. “So what [TJ Maxx is] trying to do is celebrate other women who’ve gone against that and who’ve completely wanted to change the script and do what they want. So they’re doing a You Sponsored [campaign], which is getting more women to feel like they can be themselves and praising them for that.”
From June 5 through June 20, participants can visit YouSponsored.com to apply for a sponsorship to advance their passions, be it professional or personal.