Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher claps back at troll who criticized her weight

Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher is being praised on TikTok after clapping back at a troll who criticized her weight.

The USA rugby star, often hailed as the “TikTok queen,” took to her platform to respond to a critic who’d written in a now-deleted comment: “I bet that person has a 30% BMI.”

In her 1-minute video, Ilona Maher began: “Hi, thank you for this comment. I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually a fact. I do have a BMI of 30. Well, 29.3 to be exact.

“I’ve been considered overweight my whole life. In middle school, elementary school, high school, I was always considered overweight.”

Ilona, who’s become a breakout star of this year’s Paris Olympics, then recalled a time in high school when she had to submit a physical examination report that labeled her as overweight.

“And I was so embarrassed to turn that in… so my whole life I’ve been this way. I chatted with my dietician, because I go off facts, and not just what pops up here, you know, like you do,” she continued.

“We talked about BMI, and we talked about how it’s really not helpful for athletes. BMI doesn’t tell you much it just tells you what your height and weight equals. I’ve said it before, I’m 5-foot-10, 200 lbs, and I have about 170 pounds of lean mass on me. Do that math in your head. You probably can’t.”

The 27-year-old concluded her video: “So yeah, I do have a BMI of 30. I am considered overweight. But alas, I’m going to the Olympics and you’re not.”

Ilona’s TikTok quickly went viral with over 5.2 million views, with many users taking to the comments to praise her for shutting down the critic. “Ilona. You are an absolute legend,” one supporter wrote.

“BUT ALAS I’M GOING TO THE OLYMPICS AND YOU’RE NOT sent me,” another said. “You’re an Olympic level athlete, I don’t think any more needs to be said,” a third shared.