Last year was unforgettable for Ilona Maher and the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team. They didn’t just compete at the Paris Olympics; they made history. For the first time, the American women reached the semifinals, proving they belonged among the best. But after falling to New Zealand, they had one last shot at a medal. It all came down to the final seconds against Australia. The U.S. trailed 12-7, stuck deep in their own territory. Then, Alex Sedrick took off. She powered through defenders, sprinting nearly the length of the field to score at the buzzer! The whistle blew, and the final score was USA 14, Australia 12. Tears, cheers, and sheer disbelief. Maher, a fan favorite with her strength and social media charm, stood with arms raised in triumph. That was one moment. But the rugby star was also part of another and it did not happen on the field. A viral encounter with the greatest gymnast of all time. And now? She is now sharing what it meant!

Ilona treasures another Olympic memory, and that was meeting gymnastics legend Simone Biles. “So we all know iconic Simone Biles,” Maher shared in a TikTok video posted last August. The clip captured the moment Biles approached with a growing smile, handing Maher her custom pin. “Yay!,” Maher exclaimed in the video. So what are these pins everyone’s talking about?

They’re these super cute little enamel badges that athletes, fans, and officials trade like crazy during the Games! Think of them as the Olympic version of trading cards, but way cooler because you get to meet people! The whole pin-trading thing has been around since the very first modern Olympics back in 1896! Can you believe that? Back then, they were just simple cardboard disks that officials wore for identification. Nothing fancy! But over the years? They’ve evolved into these gorgeous collectibles that countries, teams, and even sponsors design specially for each Games!

Just yesterday on her “House of Maher” podcast, Ilona reflected on that experience and the special Olympic tradition of pin trading. “I met people from all over the world and got pins from everywhere,” she said. “It’s really special because not many people get to experience the Olympic Village — only Olympians, coaches, and whatnot. It’s a place where we can all come together.”

When asked about her pin collection, Maher shared a particular quest: “I saw a video of a girl who was like ‘I see you all trading pins but I haven’t seen my pin from my country, which is Kazakhstan.’ So I was like, I’m going to find this pin!” The rugby star also revealed receiving pins from tennis star Coco Gauff and other rugby teams. “A lot of times you don’t know the same language,” she explained. “You just kind of go ‘pin’ and then they give you a pin. You connect in that way — it doesn’t have to be through language or words. Pins are universal.”

For Maher, the Biles exchange was particularly meaningful. ““I got to trade pins with Simone Biles, and I’d never met her before, I just looked at her and I was like ‘I need one of your custom pins,’ and that was the first thing I said to her,”  While Biles added four medals to her collection in Paris, for many Olympians like Maher, these small tokens of friendship might be just as valuable as the medal.

Ilona Maher had a few celebratory moments at the Olympics—winning bronze, trading pins with Simone Biles, and one more: her birthday. The rugby star shared how she marked the special day.

Ilona Maher gives a sneak peek into her birthday at the Olympics

Ilona Maher recently spilled some Olympic tea on her new podcast, “House of Maher.” Chatting with her sisters, Olivia and Adrianna, the rugby star took us behind the scenes of her birthday celebration during the Paris Olympics closing ceremony. “My birthday is August 12. I’m a Leo – a classic Leo, as they say,” Ilona revealed on the April 1st episode. The closing ceremony conveniently stretched past midnight, turning into an impromptu birthday bash.

The athletes weren’t exactly following all the rules by that point. “You’re not supposed to drink in the village, but we were all getting vodka somehow and bringing it in, like, water bottles,” she confessed. Being back at Stade de France held special meaning for Ilona, as that’s where she and her teammates made history winning America’s first Olympic medal in women’s rugby. “It was crazy to be back there knowing what happened and the feelings that [went] into it,” she reflected.

The celebration peaked at midnight: “It struck midnight, so it was my birthday, and I made everybody around me sing… It was just a really special moment. I was super drunk, but I still remember it.” Celebrating your birthday after an Olympic medal win is surely not an experience one can forget, so can we really blame her?