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.

Not everyone has the zeal to turn a debacle into a triumph. Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour definitely belongs to that exceptional pack. At the end of an ugly standoff with the French Gymnastics Federation. Kaylia earned the chance to represent her father’s birthplace, Algeria, in the Paris Olympics. The tug of war that kept the chances of her Olympic qualification hanging on the threads till the last moment could not crack her grit.

The 17-year-old stood atop the podium for her bar routine to bring Algeria its first-ever Olympic gold. “I am still a little shocked … It was my ultimate dream, years of work and hard work, details. I think it is really crazy and I am really honored to have been able to win this medal, its a first for me and for Algeria too. I hope I made them proud,” Kaylia had gleefully said. And surprisingly, Simone Biles played a role in her success.

In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, Kaylia Nemour credited a pep talk from none other than 7-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles for helping her keep the pressure at bay. “Before each move, she’d say to me ‘You can do it, let’s go!’” Nemour said, recalling her time at the Bercy Arena, where the Olympic gymnastics competitions took place. Although she secured the fifth spot in the all-around competition, she seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed her time there.

She’d encourage me during and as soon as I’d finished, she’d give me a check and say ‘good job’. Frankly, the all-around was a great experience with all the great gymnasts, and I really enjoyed myself,” Nemour said. Not only behind the scenes, Simone was cheering for Nemour even during the uneven bars final. and why not? Look how flawless her routine was!

Nemour’s fluid routine had release move and transition after release move and transition, directly connected, and a skill named after her. The eponymous skill, dubbed as the ‘The Nemour’, is commonly known as an ‘inbar Nabieva’, which is a variation of the incredibly difficult ‘Nabieva’. It is a release move where her legs are piked between the arms. She had debuted the skill in the 2023 African Championships. In the Olympic uneven bars final, the routine brought her a whopping 15.7 with an incredible difficulty value of 7.2.

As Nemour stuck her landing on the mat, Simone, present at the Bercy Arena, was seen sporting a wide smile on her face while applauding her. Nemour’s performance was enough to make the reigning world champion on the bars Qiu Qiyuan of China settle for a silver (15,500) while the Tokyo Olympics bars bronze medalist Suni Lee for the third position (14.800) once again. However, just because she won a gold medal doesn’t mean Nemour is going to rest on her laurels.

Speaking about her plans, the Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt native revealed that her break was coming to an end. “I’m going to start training again, continue competing for my club and Algeria, hoping to go all the way to 2028,” the gymnast said in the interview. However, the uneven bar specialist hopes to improve by leaps and bounds in the next four years.

The upcoming LA Olympics may give Simone Biles and company the home advantage, but Nemour has plans of her own. “I can do something on the beam and in the all-around too,” revealed the France-born Algerian gymnast. Biles won gold in both the all-around and the balance beam in Paris, but Nemour evidently will aim to overturn the picture at LA 2028. Although Kaylia only envisions her rise from here, a little over a year ago, the picture was diagonally opposite, threatening even her participation in Paris.

France’s loss was Africa’s gain: Kaylia Nemour’s journey of defying the odds

Kaylia Nemour’s hiatus with the French Gymnastics Federation started back in 2021. Nemour was already making waves in the French gymnastics scenario by that time. In 2020 and 2021, Nemour beat her senior peers at several French events, while still a junior. In 2021, she won the national championship in the uneven bars. Around the same time, a directive from the French Gymnastics Federation came as a bolt from the blues for Nemour.

It said that all Olympic hopefuls had to train full-time under the umbrella of the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance either in Vincennes, a suburb of Paris or in St.-Étienne, in southeastern France. For Nemour, this meant leaving her hometown and her gym, the Avoine Beaumont Gymnastique, conveniently located just within a mile of her residence. She was happily training there under the watchful eyes of Marc and Gina Chirilcenco, who have churned out top gymnasts for nearly 30 years. So Nemour refused to adhere to it.

“My home is within walking distance from the gym. I’m really happy with my coaches. Why would I leave?” she argued. This planted the seed of the confrontation with the Federation. Amid this, one more incident made the matter worse.

In 2021, Nemour was diagnosed with advanced osteochondritis, an inflammation often linked to repetitive stress of a joint. Nemour had to undergo bone grafting on her knees “to give her the best chance” to make a comeback, her mother Stéphanie Nemour said. The condition has been widely reported in gymnasts across the realm. But in this case, the Federation took it with a grain of salt. They claimed the condition developed from overtraining, an allegation that was already there against the Chirilcenco couple.

Although Chirilcenco refuted the claim, the two issues combined to blow the situation out of proportion. In 2022, while Nemour’s personal doctors cleared her to return to the mats, Federation’s doctors were not on the same page. This stalemate first made Nemour think of competing for Algeria. Since her father had an Algerian passport, she was eligible for that. This, however, gave rise to the second part of the battle.

As per international rules, to change their allegiance, gymnasts have to obtain a letter of release from their former federation or face a holding period of one year. Exploiting this, France refused to release Nemour. This would have made her ineligible to compete till July 2023. Eventually, that meant not competing in the African Championships in May 2023, a stepping stone for qualifying for the World Championships of that year, that would secure the Olympic berth.

After much back and forth, and widespread online rage, French Minister for Sport and the Olympic & Paralympic Games, Amelie Oudea-Castera intervened to release Nemour, just two weeks ahead of the African Championships. While, the French authorities were widely slammed for their handling of the matter and losing out a gold medal prospect, for Nemour, there was no looking back.

After conquering the African Championships, she won a silver on the uneven bars at the 2023 World Championships in the Sportpaleis arena in Antwerp, becoming the first African gymnast to win a world medal. And the rest is history. “The Olympics were a goal I had for myself. Whether it’s for France or Algeria, it will still be me, Kaylia, on the floor,” she had said before the Olympics. The world will indeed wait to see that spark on the mats over and over again!

When Cecile Landi first set foot in the World Champions Center in 2017, she carried with her the fiery determination of someone with something to prove. Leaving behind her beloved France, Cecile, alongside her husband Laurent, revolutionized the world of gymnastics. Their journey wasn’t just about coaching; it was about creating legends. The echoes of naysayers who doubted her only fueled her passion, transforming her into a legendary coach.

Training icons like Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, Cecile’s touch turned dreams into reality. But now, as the Paris 2024 Olympics draw to a close, Cecile faces a bittersweet farewell to the WCC. This Olympics is her last before she takes on the role of co-head coach at Georgia University. Amidst the grandeur of the closing ceremony, Cecile couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat. Her heart swelled with nostalgia, especially as she watched not only her protégés but also her own daughter compete, representing France in diving. “It’s really insane… so I’m trying not to cry,” she confessed, the emotions nearly overwhelming her.

The journey at the WCC has been nothing short of magical for Cecile. Reflecting on her time there, she described it as the golden era of her life. She fondly recalled the camaraderie among the gymnasts, their unwavering support for each other, and their shared drive to excel. “They’re good kids—all together, cheering for each other, wanting the best,” she remarked, highlighting the family-like bond she helped foster

When Cecile Landi took up the coaching of Simone Biles, she was already a star. Thus, the primary challenge for Cecile was to make Biles evolve. In her quest of doing so, Cecile Landi got rid of all the gymnastics stereotypes first. For example, Simone Biles did not fit into the societal-set standards of a ‘beautiful gymnast.’ Thus, Cecile adjusted and accommodated her accordingly. The 45-year-old never, for once, tried to force things upon Biles or fit her in a mould.

And the result? Well, even after getting a heartbreak in Tokyo, Cecile Landi managed to work her way through and get Biles back on the all-around pinnacle in Paris. She also trained Jordan Chiles, who is being touted as the next big thing in US gymnastics after Biles. Not only did she help Team USA win the gold medal, but Cecile Landi’s coaching also helped her win a bronze medal, which was later controversially, scrapped. Unfortunately, it was none other than Cecile Landi who was blamed for a mix-up.

The curious case of Cecile Landi’s 4-second delay

Jordan Chiles was elated when her inquiry was granted and was awarded a 13.766 score on the floor. Afterall, this resulted in her toppling the Romanian Ana Barbosu, who was, till now, sitting pretty at the third position with 13.700. Well, what happened was that Jordan Chiles, after completing her floor routine as the last participant, was awarded a score of 13.666. However, this did not sit well with her team, and they submitted an inquiry to reinstate Chiles’ difficulty rating.

After the judges granted her wish and awarded a .1 score to Chiles, Ana Barbosu’s dreams were shattered. However, following the conclusion of the games, Team Romania appealed against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sports and managed to get the decision overturned. It was discovered that Cecile Landi, who was the legitimate member from Team USA to submit an inquiry, was 4 seconds late.

As per the rules of IOC, a team can submit an inquiry anytime after one participant has finished a routine and before another one starts theirs. However, for the last participant, which was the case for Jordan Chiles, the time was stifled down to within 1 minute from the score displayed. This confusion might be the cause for Cecile Landi to be 4 seconds late in her appeal. However, in a fresh angle added to the chapter, Team USA has submitted video evidence about the inquiry being lodged within the stipulated 1-minute mark.

Thus, with triumph and controversy both following Cecile Landi, her plate is surely brimming with happiness and thrill to have been a part of the golden adventure. As she moves on to her next journey, Cecile Landi would look to write yet another chapter of coaching greatness that will pave her way into the league of coaching immortals.

Rebeca Andrade made history of her own in Paris. Her four-medal tally, including one gold, made her the most decorated gymnast in Brazil’s Olympic history. Overcoming three ACL injuries in four years, the gymnast showed great determination to beat an inspired Simone Biles in the floor exercise at the Olympics, while running her close in other events. Despite her immense success, Andrade shares a trait with her rival- humbleness.

Winning the second Olympic gold medal of her career, Andrade took her haul to six medals. This added to her growing reputation as one of the best gymnasts in the world right now, with three world championship medals also to her name already.

But speaking after her successful campaign in Paris, she was quick to remind everyone of her roots. In an interview posted by GYMeme on X, Rebeca Andrade shared a heartwarming reflection: “My whole country, you know, being who I am, the way I am, the way people look at me today is really, really great, but for me I will always be Rebeca, daughter of Rosa, Chico’s athlete and I understand, really I understand the place I’m in and that’s why I said I’ll take care of it with so much affection.”

Andrade was born in Guarulhos, Brazil, in 1999 and took up gymnastics when she was four years old. With seven siblings and a single mother, she didn’t have it easy while growing up. The financial situation of the family meant she didn’t have much money to spend on her training and there were times when her brothers would walk her to the gym as they couldn’t afford a bus pass.

In her interview she further added, “But being Rebeca, for me, I have a lot of dreams, very big dreams but also keeping my foot on the ground, understanding my whole story, I think it’s what makes people keep admiring me, you know. And that’s how I’m going to be because it’s a soul and I love being the person I am.”

Andrade moved to Curitiba away from her family at the age of nine after her coach invited her to join a high-performance training center in the city. From there she moved to Rio de Janeiro, a year later.

Apart from her gold medal in floor exercise, Andrade won two silver medals- one each in vault and individual all-around competitions. She also helped her country clinch bronze in the team all-around event. Her comments about being “Rebeca” remind us of a similar statement by Biles after she won the individual all-around gold medal at the Olympics.

After her win, the American proudly rocked her GOAT necklace—a little reminder that even she knows she’s the greatest of all time. But she was humbled by the accolades she has been showered with. “At the end of the day, it’s crazy that I am in the conversation for the greatest of all athletes because I still think I’m Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, who loves to flip,” Biles said.

Despite the spirited rivalry, both Biles and Andrade have been respectful of each other as seen at the World Championships last year. The mutual admiration was on display again in Paris. These two incredible athletes have managed to lift each other in the most special ways.

Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade turned their fierce gymnastics rivalry into a friendship for the ages!

Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade’s rivalry has always had a special touch of closeness. Their paths first crossed on the Olympic stage in Rio 2016, where Biles claimed her first all-around gold. When Biles took a break from gymnastics to focus on her mental health, Andrade stepped up, winning the all-around title at the 2022 World Championships and gold on the vault at Tokyo 2020. At the 2023 World Championships, after Biles snagged gold in the floor final and Andrade earned silver, Biles crowned Andrade with her own gold medal—a gesture of grace and camaraderie that spoke volumes.

Their bond grew even deeper at the Paris Olympics. After their floor final, Biles and teammate Jordan Chiles bowed down to Olympic gold medallist Andrade. This moment was more than just a show of respect; it marked a historic first: an all-Black podium in gymnastics at the Olympics. “Rebeca’s so amazing, she’s a queen,” Biles said. “She’s such an excitement to watch and then all the fans in the crowd were always cheering for her, so it was just the right thing to do.”

Before this touching moment, Andrade had finished second in the all-around finals, just behind Simone Biles, whose stellar floor routine clinched the gold. Even with such close competition, Andrade remained gracious. “Simone is the best, and she brings out the best of me,” she said.

Biles, feeling the intense pressure of such close competition, admitted, “I’ve never had an athlete that close, so it definitely put me on my toes.” She even joked about not wanting to compete against Andrade again.