NEW YORK :American Olympian Ilona Maher is taking the leap from the rugby pitch to the toy-store shelves, as the bronze medallist was honoured with her own signature Barbie doll on Monday.

Maher conquered the social media game in her last two Olympic appearances, bringing her sport to new heights in a country where rugby rarely breaks through to the mainstream. She picked up her bronze with the U.S. team in Paris.

"It's going to feel really real when I get to give it to a young girl," said Maher, one of the most recognisable figures in her sport. "For them to get to enjoy the Barbie, see themselves in the Barbie, that's when I think I'll have a tear in my eye."

The Maher Barbie doll, made by Mattel, will be available at retailers next year.

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