Simone Biles’s former coach’s journey has been about pushing boundaries. Whether on the floor with elite athletes or working hard for Georgia when left alone just the night before the NCAA championship meet last April. A life filled with practice and precision has made her familiar with the difficulty of big goals. But sometimes, you find yourself in a very difficult or pressured situation. The same happened with Simone Biles’ former coach when she made the shift to Georgia. Who are we talking about?

Of course, it is Cecile Canqueteau-Landi. She joined Georgia in April 2024 with a lot of excitement. But it turned out to be a mess overnight. Why? Head coach Courtney Kupets Carter was dismissed by Georgia the night before the NCAA championship meet last April. But things eventually got resolved. Cecile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts ended up becoming the co-head coaches of the University of Georgia women’s gymnastics team. But now a new era is about to begin.

Georgia is set to open conference competition on Friday against Florida (6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network). Team? With a roster that includes 2020 Olympic alternate and surprise transfer Kara Eaker and last year’s SEC Freshman of the Year, Lily Smith. All the eyes are on them, and the pressure has increased on Canqueteau-Landi. Landi has revealed her feelings about the pressure.

According to ESPN, Landi said, “There’s pressure, but pressure is a privilege.” She feels privileged to train the future and present of gymnastics. Canqueteau-Landi has coached many elite gymnasts, including Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Madison Kocian, and Alyssa Baumann.

She became Biles’ coach in 2017, and along with her husband, Canqueteau-Landi, she joined the coaching staff at the World Champions Centre in Texas. She has something else to say about the wall in the practice gym that inspires every athlete out there.

Landi further added, “All of the gymnasts here see the wall [in the practice gym] every day. They all know the legacy Georgia has, and they want to be on that wall too.” Canqueteau-Landi told ESPN, pointing to the banners and pictures on the wall that honored the program’s historic 10 national titles. She further added, “I want them to be on the wall. That’s what we’re going to work towards every single day.”

Challenges and goals ahead of Cecile Canqueteau-Landi’s post-Simone Biles

Simone Biles is a name everybody is aware of. After all, she bagged three golds just last year at the Paris Olympics. In addition to Biles, Jordan Chiles, and Madison Kocian also had quite the medal haul as part of Team US. And the one behind all this is none other than Cecile. And now, with the NCAA season in full swing, she still has some major challenges ahead.

Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, who moved from training elite gymnasts to being a college program head coach, has to face great challenges in terms of recruitment and keeping the performance level up. Her challenges ahead? The task of luring high-level talent to the University of Georgia through adherence to NCAA regulations and enticing young athletes who might be getting more than one offer of collegiate sports scholarships.

Also, to sustain high performance, she has to adjust her coaching strategies to meet the requirements of a team-oriented environment, the balance between the athletes’ individual development and the team’s collective success. What is she looking forward to now?

To maintain high performance consistently, she has to adapt various coaching strategies and create a team culture that is adaptable to the individual. She also plans to continue Georgia’s venerable gymnastics heritage by creating an atmosphere of success and nonstop growth with the new open conference competition. The fans are hoping that her dedication and resilience pay her off.