Ilona Maher celebrates Olympic medal with giant croissant: ‘A little treat’

Rugby player Ilona Maher has worked up an appetite after winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On Aug. 3, the star player of the United States women’s rugby sevens team took to the streets of Paris to celebrate with a “light snack” of a giant croissant in a comedic TikTok video.

“Mmm,” Maher says in the video with her bronze medal dangling from her neck, calling the massively oversized pastry “a little treat, just something to get me going.”

Maher’s video racked up more than 5 million views and is the latest in a string of viral moments she’s posted while at the Games, including a recent run-in with Tom Brady.

Commenters continued to show love for the 27-year-old who has quickly achieved American treasure status.

“Eating a massive croissant while wearing an Olympic medal in Paris is ICONIC,” one person wrote. “USA, USA, USA,” chanted another, while someone else said she is “Truly the people’s princess 💕.”

Another TikTok user called the treat “Girl dinner ✨” in a nod to the Olympian’s sister Olivia Maher, who created the viral meal concept.

Maher is not the only one enjoying a gigantic pastry while in the City of Light. TODAY anchors Craig Melvin and Al Roker were joined by Al’s daughter Leila Roker for a Parisian “croissant crawl.”

Their tasting included a stop at Philippe Conticini, which serves the viral oversized croissant.

Other athletes have been taking to social media to share their food preferences while at the Paris Games, like the viral chocolate muffin that quickly became the star of the Olympic Village.

However, the dining hall has largely received less-than-stellar reviews from Simone Biles, Hezly Rivera and other Olympians, which has led some to look elsewhere during mealtime.

Gymnast Suni Lee recently shared that she’s been unsuccessfully looking for pho in Paris to celebrate her Olympics wins.

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This article was originally published on TODAY.com