Rugby Olympic medalist Ilona Maher is taking on BMI and winning

With her trademark red lipstick and a killer right arm that easily sweeps her opponents out of her way, US women's rugby center Ilona Maher ran Team USA toward its first bronze this week at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

With her trademark red lipstick and a killer right arm that easily sweeps her opponents out of her way, US women's rugby center Ilona Maher ran Team USA toward its first bronze this week at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

But her reaction to hecklers who call her masculine and criticize her weight as "obese" is winning additional accolades from fans and critics alike.

"I used to get those comments all the time, people being mean or calling me manly or whatnot," she told CNN. "But now I have 2 million friends who will come after you and take you down if you try and say anything mean to me."

Before the Olympics began, Maher responded to one critic who commented, "I bet that person has a 30 BMI," which stands for body mass index, a controversial measurement the medical profession uses to characterize weight.

"I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually fact — I do have a BMI of 30. Well, 29.3 (to be) more exact," she posted in mid-July on TikTok.

"I am considered overweight. But alas, I'm going to the Olympics, and you're not."

Maher has posted poignant videos about the pain that those hateful, often anonymous, comments accusing her of being overweight or on steroids can cause.