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    Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher hits back at critic over weight dig

    By Jenna Lemoncelli,

    3 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4cEDe3_0uhBJ9CQ00

    USA rugby star Ilona Maher had the best response to a troll who criticized her weight.

    The 27-year-old — who’s poised to shine on the pitch for Team USA in pursuit of its first Olympic rugby medal in Paris — shut down a commenter that wrote: “I bet that person has a 30% BMI.”

    “Hi, thank you for this comment. I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually a fact,” Maher said in a video on TikTok, where she has 1.6 million followers. “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.

    @ilonamaher

    As long as haters keep saying dumb stuff, I’m gonna keep clapping back

    ♬ original sound – Ilona Maher
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Z7a37_0uhBJ9CQ00
    USA rugby star Ilona Maher shut down a troll who criticized her weight on social media. TikTok/Ilona Maher

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    BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a value derived from the mass and height of a person.

    Maher — who’s known for her powerful fist arm on the pitch — went on to recall a time in high school when she had to turn in a physical that said she was categorized 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,” Maher said, referring to the commenter, whose TikTok appeared to be deleted as of Monday.

    “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.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1SGVFU_0uhBJ9CQ00
    United States forward Ilona Maher (2) competing against France at Stade de France at the Paris Olympics on July 29, 2024. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0xTL4c_0uhBJ9CQ00
    United States forward Ilona Maher (2) competing against France at Stade de France at the Paris Olympics on July 29, 2024. Getty Images

    “I’ve said it before, I’m 5-foot-10, 200 lbs, and I have about — and this is an estimate — about 170 pounds of lean mass on me. Do that math in your head. You probably can’t.”

    “That’s pretty crazy, right? And that BMI doesn’t really tell you what I can do; It doesn’t tell you what I 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. 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,” Maher concluded.

    “As long as haters keep saying dumb stuff, I’m gonna keep clapping back,” she captioned her post.

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    Maher, who has 1.5 million followers on Instagram, garnered social media fame when she began sharing behind-the-scenes videos of life as an Olympian during the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

    Fans fell in love with her lighthearted videos and satire.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0StzFP_0uhBJ9CQ00
    Kylie Kelce and Ilona Maher at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Instagram/Ilona Maher

    In a separate post on her Instagram Story, Maher shared a photo with Kylie Kelce after meeting her and her husband, former Eagles center Jason Kelce in Paris.

    “Great to finally meet you. Tell the girls I will be their personal rugby coach if they want to play,” Maher wrote, referring to their three young daughters, Wyatt, Elliotte and Bennett.

    The U.S. women’s rugby sevens team beat Japan 36-7 on Sunday morning, and defeated Brazil 24-5 that afternoon.

    They lost to France, 31-14, on Monday in front of 66,000 in attendance, which set a new record for a women’s rugby event.

    For the latest in sports, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/sports/

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