In 2017, Cecile Landi and her husband Laurent were looking to open their own gym. The two had coached at the World Olympics Gymnastics Academy since 2007 and wanted to take the next step in their career. It was at that time Simone Biles returned to training and needed new coaches. Cecile stepped up and joined the World Champions Centre, owned by Biles’ parents and for the next seven years became synonymous with the American gymnast and the WCC.
After guiding Simone Biles to four gold medals on her redemption tour, reviving a sleeping giant next on Cecile Landi’s list. But before she moves to Georgia, Landi paid a surprise visit to her second home, the World Champions Centre in Texas.
During her tenure at WCC, Cecile’s work with Biles, Jordan Chiles, Joscelyn Roberson, and many others was a testament to her coaching skills. Under her mentorship, US gymnasts stamped their authority on the world with the highlight being the recently concluded Paris Olympics. Her connection with those at the gym was clear to see when she first talked about moving to Georgia in June.
I don’t want to think about it, but I don’t think I can do any better than the group I have. So I think it’s a good time for me to move on,” she said. Well, she is moving on, but not before a detour to WCC.
On Tuesday, on her Instagram story, Landi shared a photo of her back at WCC, with the caption, “Back for a few days .” A second story revealed her emotions after catching up with some of the young athletes at WCC. The caption read, “Such a pléasure to catch up and have lunch with these young ladies ♥️ Thank you for making the trip! Love you all ”
Landi’s association with WCC will be best remembered for the high standards she brought to the mat. Paris Olympics were particularly poignant, as it was Landi’s last appearance with the American women’s gymnastics team. She went out on a high note, as the US team, including her mentees Simone Biles and Jordan, clinched gold in the team final, with Biles grabbing further three medals, including two golds. But now she has a different challenge on her hands, one that sees her take up the co-head coach role at the University of Georgia.
Georgia has been going through a lull after winning five consecutive national championships in college gymnastics between 2005-2009. However, since those heady days, they haven’t added to their 10 titles, with last season’s failure to qualify for the NCAA Championships meet, resulting in the dismissal of Courtney Kupets Carter after seven years.
Moving to Georgia, Cecile Landi will be taking up the mantle of co-head coach along with Ryan Roberts. While Cecile will be training the Georgia girls to become potential champions, her husband, Laurent Landi, will remain at the World Champions Center until their daughter completes high school.
And while Cecile Landi has an endless list of accolades to vouch for, one of her biggest accomplishments is training Simone Biles in her darkest phase.
Cecile Landi helped Biles overcome Tokyo disappointment
After Cecile Landi took up the coaching of Simone Biles in 2017, she won World titles in 2018 and 2019 and things seemed to working great. But the Tokyo Olympics saw Biles experience twisties as she withdrew from the team final and individual all-around. With Biles losing confidence in herself, Landi was there to counsel her as she returned to take the bronze in the balance beam.
The process of rebuilding Biles’ belief continued under Cecile, as she won the World Championship gold in 2023, before a dominant performance in Paris.
While speaking about her experience working with Simone Biles, the 44-year-old described the US gymnastics queen as “She’s calm, she laughs, she’s back to her sometimes goofy self that we had missed a few times…She has a few tools that are personal to her, which help her stay calm and remember why she’s here and how to think positively,” during the US Olympic Trials.
Biles, too, supported Cecile Landi through and through during her tenure at the WCC. According to Cecile, Biles was the first person to congratulate her on her new job, saying, “I’m so happy for you. You need to go.”
Thus, leaving behind happy memories, it now remains to be seen what magic Cecile Landi creates with her impeccable coaching skills in Georgia.
