Olympic rugby sevens play Ilona Maher, from Burlington, took second place in the Dancing with the Stars finale on Tuesday.
On Instagram, Maher and her partner, professional dancer Alan Bersten, wrote a message to fans thanking them for following along.
“Thank you for everything, guys. You voting are the reason we got to 2nd place. Of course, it’s no first but honestly we won in many other ways. So lucky to have been partnered together and shared this amazing journey. We will remember this forever,” the post said.
Maher won a bronze medal in Paris this summer, and competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021. She’s well known for her social media presence — namely TikTok, where, in addition to comedic content, she posts content about body positivity and strong, powerful women.
In a video posted after the news of her casting was announced, she said she wanted to say no at first.
“I know rugby,” she said in the video. “Yet it felt hypocritical of me to not want to try something new that could show me what my body could do in a different way.”
She said she ultimately said yes for a few reasons, one being the opportunity to take back the narrative and show what her body could do — saying a lot of people feel like they have a right to comment on her body and build.
“[Athletes are] more than just one thing,” she said in the video. “We can do so many great things with our strong, beautiful bodies.”
Maher danced a freestyle dance in the finale Tuesday to Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon.” She also dedicated a dance to her rugby seven’s team earlier in the season.
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