'DWTS' Olympian Ilona Maher Nearly Bares It All in Topless Bikini Photos

Two-time Olympian Ilona Maher kicked off her Friday by sharing a topless photo of herself on social media.

The picture, which was taken during a recent Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photoshoot, appeared on Maher’s official Instagram account on Oct. 4. “Here’s a picture of me with my shirt off to start your Friday,” Maher, 28, wrote to caption her post.

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In the photo, the Dancing with the Stars contestant wore bronze string bikini bottoms and used her wrists and hands to cover her bare chest. She also wore the bronze medal that she and the other members of the U.S. women’s rugby team won during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Maher held the medal between her fingers a few inches below her chin, its blue ribbon draped loosely around her neck.

Maher also shared another photo of herself holding the bronze medal, though the second photo that appeared in her Friday post showed her wearing the bikini top that matched the bottoms from the first snapshot. In the second image, Maher had her eyes closed as she held the medal beside her head and gave it a kiss.

Several fans wrote in to praise the rugby player’s “Very Strong, Very Sexy, Very Cutesy” post—even Dancing with the Stars’ official Instagram account left a comment that read, “Babe wake up, Ilona just posted! 😍🔥.”

“Ilona woke up and decided to break the internet today,” one fan observed as another declared that Maher is “such an icon.”

One Instagram user shared that they were “NOT expecting this to be the first thing to pop up when i open insta” before adding, "but i am not upset.”

“The icon we don’t deserve, but absolutely need 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻,” another Instagram user said of Maher.

Maher made her Olympics debut in Tokyo, Japan, during the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021. She returned for her second go-around this summer and earned her first Olympic medal. After she returned home from Paris, Dancing with the Stars announced that Maher would be among its celebrity competitors for Season 33, which kicked off last month.

Next: U.S. Rugby's Ilona Maher Shares Candid Opinion of Jason Kelce After Olympics Encounter