NEED TO KNOW
- Ilona Maher left little to the imagination at the 2025 ESPY Awards on Wednesday, July 16
- The Olympic medal-winning rugby player traded her sports jersey for a plunging black dress that showed skin from all angles
- Maher has used her platform to champion body positivity and support for women in sports since gaining viral popularity at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Ilona Maher is reinforcing her passion for fashion — and showing skin — at the 2025 ESPY Awards!
The Olympic bronze medalist and Team USA rugby star, 28, stepped out in a jaw-dropping black dress that shows she has her PhD in naked dressing. The black gown dipped so low that it revealed much of her torso including her belly-button. It also included an open back and a heavy dose of side boob. Maher completed the sexy look with strappy black heels, gold square hoop earrings, a slicked back updo and a bold red lipstick for a pop of color.
This is Maher’s first time being nominated for an ESPY Award and her first time at the event.
Maher, who is nominated for the Best Breakthrough Athlete category, is coming off of a big year. The 2024 Paris Olympics was her second go at competing for Team USA, but this time around she took home her first medal.
In Paris, her presence was amplified by social media TikTok. She quickly gained TikTok followers — and a title as an internet sensation — after posting content about life in the Olympic Village.
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Just after her Olympic run, she made waves posing for the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, for which she wore several cheeky bikinis.
In May, Maher hit the runway for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit‘s Miami Swim Week show. On May 31, the Olympian looked effortless in an assortment of bathing suits. She was later applauded for her “badass behavior” after she revealed she walked in the show while on her period.
“Men think they are tough but they’ll never do Miami Swim Week wearing only bikinis while on their period like I did,” Maher, wearing an all-white outfit with red lipstick, wrote in text over a video she posted on Instagram Reels on June 3.
The last time Maher glammed up for the red carpet was the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, 2024.
She showed off her toned arms in a strapless midnight blue velvet peplum gown and finished the look with sparkling silver drop earrings, rings and bracelets. Her glam included her classic red lip, and a simple updo with face-framing pieces.
Maher’s red lip has become a staple for her, as she previously told PEOPLE that she wears makeup on and off the field because it makes her feel good. “My lipstick doesn’t take away from how hard I hit, from how I read the game, from how I run,” she says.
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The Dancing With The Stars alum turned heads when she changed midway through the night into glassy and violet gown with a sculptural bodice, which she donned when she along with other Olympians were brought onstage during one of the category announcements.
She later joked in a TikTok video, calling herself “extra” for having three different looks for the night.
“Did I make three outfit changes at the Emmys? Yes I did, because I am extra,” Maher said in the video, giving a clear shot of her chic after-party look, a black spaghetti strap gown with a deep v-neckline. She noted in the caption of the video that she was “proud of it.”
The ESPY Awards are airing live on ESPN beginning 8 p.m. ET.
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