Local Henderson restaurant helps with “Pay It Forward”

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Ilona Maher of Burlington joined the short list of Vermonters to win a medal at the Summer Olympics a few weeks ago. She helped the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team win its first Olympic medal in a thrilling last-second victory over Australia. On Saturday, she celebrated with her hometown! Several hundred people gathered at Battery Park Saturday morning to welcome the bronze medalist to town. Family and friends, former coaches and teachers, and athletes of all ages had the opportunity to view the medal. Ilona says she’ll take a little breather before getting back to work on the field, but she still has a lot planned in the sport, starting with a pretty big tournament next year in England while keeping the door open for an Olympic return on home soil in four years. “Definitely a break from playing, but it’s been cool to get so many new opportunities and offers through social media,” Maher said of her future plans. “I think we’ll use some of those to expand my sphere of influence outside of rugby. But then there’s a 15s World Cup coming up that I’d love to try my luck at. I also think it would be amazing to play in the Olympics in my own country. I think four years is a long time, but it would definitely be something I want to do and I think I can do it. I believe I’d still be at a top level to do that, but we’ll see.” “She’s already done a lot for the growth of women’s rugby,” added Ilona’s father Mike. “After Tokyo, a lot of college women’s programs reported an increase in the number of people coming in to experience the sport because of her. I think when colleges come back now, they’re going to see a huge increase in the number of women and men interested in rugby and that’s going to be a great explosion for the game. I wouldn’t mind being in LA in 2028 and I hope to be watching a lot of rugby between now and then.”