Hong Kong Sevens: USA star Ilona Maher enjoys sights and sounds of the city more than team’s first displays on the pitch
- On her first visit to the Sevens, the US prop has been sharing everything about Hong Kong on social media since her arrival
- On the field, however, she has not been pleased with the team’s performances, despite their winning the first two games
USA’s Ilona Maher has had a busy start to her time in the city for the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, meeting the Hong Kong Deaf Rugby Team, rambling the streets of Causeway Bay and filling up on roast duck and pineapple buns.
Maher represented her country in at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but it was her performance on TikTok that stole the show, with videos about finding love in the cafeteria, her love for a tie-dye bucket hat and social distancing from her coach all going viral.
The USA team arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday and the 27-year-old prop was quick to hop onto social media to share everything weird and wonderful about the city.
One Instagram post, which garnered more than 4,000 likes, showed Maher being presented with fan art by Mary Cheng Pui-man, who plays for the Hong Kong Deaf Rugby Team.
“We had the deaf rugby team come to our practice and watch the other day, and she [Cheng] said ‘I have a gift for you’,” Maher said.
