Georgia hires one of Simone Biles' coaches to lead women's gymnastics team
One of Simone Biles' coaches is going to college.
Cecile Landi is one of the new head coaches of Georgia's women's gymnastics team, the school announced Thursday night. Landi, who along with husband Laurent has coached Biles since 2018, will join the GymDogs after the Paris Olympics.
Landi will be co-head coach with Ryan Roberts, a Georgia assistant the last two seasons. Landi and Roberts previously worked together at WOGA in Texas.
"I am thrilled for the opportunity to be the new co-head coach of the GymDogs with Ryan. I am looking forward to work with team in the near future!" Landi said in the statement announcing her and Roberts' hiring.
Landi's husband will stay at World Champions Centre for the next year, while their daughter finishes high school. Juliette Landi, a diver, has already committed to Auburn.
"It was a family decision, not an easy one but one that we all agreed on and are ready to take on!" Landi said on X. "Then she’ll move to Auburn for diving, he’ll join me in Athens and decide what he will want to do next!"
Landi also said she and her husband will help find new coaches for the elite program at WCC, which is owned by Biles' parents. Under the Landis, the gym has become a national powerhouse. In addition to Biles, Tokyo Olympian Jordan Chiles and Joscelyn Roberson, a member of last year's world championships team, train there.
In a statement on Twitter, Biles' mother Nellie said Landi has "left an indelible mark" at WCC.
"Her departure will certainly be felt, but her legacy will forever shape the foundation of World Champions Centre," Nellie Biles wrote.
Landi and her husband are both French, and Cecile Landi represented France at the 1996 Olympics. They rose to prominence as coaches of Madison Kocian, who won a title on uneven bars at the 2015 world championships and helped the U.S. women win team gold at the Rio Olympics the following year.
When the Biles family opened WCC, they hired the Landis to lead the elite team and they became Simone Biles' coaches when she returned to training in 2018. With the Landis, Biles has won three more all-around titles at the world championships and last year became the most decorated gymnast, male or female, with 37 medals at the world championships and Olympics.
Simone Biles is particularly close with Cecile Landi, and has praised her for helping her get through "the twisties" that forced her to withdraw during the team competition at the Tokyo Olympics. Biles was able to return for the balance beam final, where she won a bronze medal.