Georgia gymnastics wouldn’t have it any other way. Neither would Cecile Landi, who had a sold out Stegeman Coliseum and her most favorite, Simone Biles to cheer for her co-head coach debut with the GymDogs. After all, Simone-Cecile had been the standout pupil-coach duo on the mats since 2017. But Biles knew. Although their parting felt like the ‘end of an era,’ it wasn’t a goodbye. And now, her love for Landi has not only pulled her all the way to the GymDogs’ seasoned opener, but driven her to give her two cents on her former coach’s transition.
Right from the start, Simone Biles has been supportive of Cecile’s Georgia decision. In fact, even when the coach was contemplating, Biles was the one who encouraged her to take the leap saying, “I’m so happy for you. You need to go.” After all, NCAA gymnastics and the elite version have their differences, right? But Biles always knew, Cecile had it in her, “I can’t think of a more deserving person…” she’d showered Landi with praises when the news first broke out. And even today, her stand remains the same.
After the GymDogs’ season opener, Simone Biles and Cecile Landi sat down for a talk, where the 11x Olympic medalist revealed, “Elite gymnastics can be so stressful and Cecile is so kind hearted, so to see her give that love to other gymnasts, especially in collegiate gymnastics, it’s super exciting.” In fact, Simone Biles’ excitement was palpable as she cheered, “We kinda always thought she would be a great college gymnastics coach but we just needed that opportunity and Georgia gave it to us. So we were like, wohooo, let’s go support Cecile!”
Well, this is hardly the first time Biles is showing faith in Cecile Landi’s coaching abilities. As per Athens-Banner Herald, Simone Biles had said, “Cecile is a fun, free spirit, very motivational but also compassionate! She truly cares for her athletes as if they were her own children.” It’s like, Simone Biles also knew Cecile had it in her to be a fantastic college gymnastics coach, but she just needed the right shot, “I’m so excited to see Cecile take on this role. It’s way different than elite gymnastics, but she deserves this amazing opportunity after all the years of hard work she’s put in!”
Looks like Simone Biles truly knows how special this moment can be for the Georgia Bulldogs. And why wouldn’t she? After all, Cecile is the one who helped Biles get back on track after she suffered from the ‘twisties,’ right?
Well, Simone Biles found her safe space with former Team USA coach, Cecile and her husband Laurent Landi. Shedding a little bit of light on this equation, Biles recently stated in Athens, “They had previously left their former gym and I was looking for coaches because I was coming back after the 2016 Olympics, and I had known Cecile and Laurent for so many years. And so somebody kind of suggested that maybe we work together and we’ve been together ever since, up until now.”
Before Cecile and Laurent, Biles was coached by Aimee Boorman for 11 long years. Although, Simone Biles felt like she’d found a mother in Boorman, she did feel abandoned by her when she was 17. “You never coach me anymore! You’re always in the office!” as seen in Biles’ documentary, Courage to Soar. But things changed when she joined Cecile’s tent for the big 2017 comeback. And it changed for Landi too who became a bit more cognizant of athlete’s mental health issues, “It has definitely been a big change, and Simone has opened my eyes on a lot of things.” Today it is Landi who has tutored Simone to 6 Olympic medals and she seems really grateful to her for that.
