Ilona Maher Was Feeling “Ethereal” At The 2026 ESPYs
The former Best Breakthrough Athlete winner dishes on her look for this year’s show.
Ilona Maher may be used to walking red carpets, but her date to this year’s ESPYs was a little newer to the game. “This year I’m having my mom with me,” Maher tells Elite Daily, getting ready at the JW Marriott Essex House in midtown Manhattan before the July 15 award show. “I think she’s nervous. I said, ‘You have to just walk in, Mom, and be confident you’re there.’ I told her not so humbly, ‘You are the mother of Ilona Maher. You deserve to be there.’”
The 29-year-old rugby player knows she’s earned that spot in any room. Maher is an Olympic bronze medalist, Dancing With the Stars finalist, and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model. At the 2025 ESPYS, she took home the award for Best Breakthrough Athlete. “Each year I feel more like, ‘Oh, I’m deserving to be in this space.’ I put my shoulders back and I’m proud to be there,” she says.
Ahead of her appearance at this year’s show, where she presented alongside New York Knicks player Karl-Anthony Towns, Maher opened up about her dress — a premium designer find from TJ Maxx — plus the friends she made at the SI Swim runway show, and the style restriction she’s thrown out the window.
Elite Daily: What was the inspiration for this year’s ESPYs look?
Ilona Maher: I wanted to go ethereal with it — really beautiful and glamorous. Last year was muscles and power and athleticism. For this one, I really wanted to go, not softer, but just classy.
ED: Was this love at first sight, or a favorite among many?
IM: We tried on a lot. I don’t think you should just go with the first thing you try. It takes effort. Everything we tried on I liked and am going to wear sometime. I’ve told TJ Maxx I will be stealing them. But once you put something on and it feels right, you start acting different.
ED: How did this dress make you feel when you first wore it?
IM: I started tucking my hair behind my ear, and all my stylists and everyone else was like, “This is it.” Your energy changes when something looks good. You put your shoulders back, you feel better. So I feel really good. I’m excited. I’m wearing these big shoes with it, keeping up with the NBA players.
ED: Speaking of accessories, how did you choose those for tonight?
IM: For the earrings, we went with these long, dangly ones because the dress goes almost to the floor. We wanted to go with sleek hair. It’s all going to be flowy.
ED: Last year’s ESPYs look had a similar silhouette to your white-and-blue swimsuit at the SI Swim runway. Was there one piece of advice you got before the show that turned out to be useful?
IM: The energy around that show is that you can’t not feel the most beautiful. Everybody’s so supportive. The advice was to take longer to pose than you think, and enjoy the cameras, enjoy the energy of the crowd. It’s a moment. I really think I took it in.
ED: Was that advice from one specific person?
IM: You hear it from everybody. Honestly, you get so much good advice. Penny Lane, the most beautiful woman on the planet, taught me how to walk.
ED: Who was the most fun to model with?
IM: I became good friends with Lauren Chan and Hunter [McGrady]. They are really genuine women who have similar personalities and senses of humor. We were just vibing, having the most fun, laughing together.
ED: Are there any style rules that you love to break?
IM: It’s not a style rule, but a style change — there was a thing of having big arms and shoulders, and wanting to cover them up. Like, is there a way we can shrink or make them smaller? My style rule now is, how can I highlight those features that I’ve been told are too manly or too much in glamorous, beautiful ways? This one will highlight my height and my shoulders.
ED: What will be in your bag tonight?
IM: I’m going to be honest, I’m not holding a bag. I’m making my mom hold a bag, and she will be holding my phone so I can make videos. She’s helping me carry things. That’s my bellboy tonight.
ED: Do you have a go-to red-carpet outfit formula?
IM: I don’t think there should ever be one formula — it can always change and get better. Every time I get on a red carpet, I’m like, “This is the best I’ve ever looked.” Then the next time, I’m like, “This is the best I’ve ever looked.” I don’t think you should ever limit yourself, because it’s a way to show your originality and personal style.
ED: In a TikTok about your three outfit changes, you said that you loved being extra. You’re all sparkly tonight. Did you plan on being extra for this ESPYs?
IM: I don’t plan it. It just happens. It doesn’t ever feel extra to me. I just love looking good and feeling good. I love when something comes together so perfectly, and you have people around you who want you to be the best. I think it’s just the right amount.
ED: When you plan a look, are you already thinking of Instagram captions?
IM: Honestly, I should — but no, it’s kind of as it comes. Sometimes it pops into my head. For this one, let me think. It’s giving confidence. Head to toe.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
