Simone Biles Confirms Stance on Former Coach Leaving For NCAA Gymnastics

One of the purest relationships is coach-student. Indeed, they both strive for each other’s success in their journey together, as demonstrated when Cecile Landi coached Simone Biles. The two bonded perfectly for gymnastics dominance, as demonstrated by their performances on the mat. Throughout their journey, they have amassed numerous medals, including Olympic golds, which are highly anticipated by many.

However, shortly after Biles won three Olympic golds and one Olympic silver in Paris in 2024, Landi made the decision to step down from coaching Team USA and transition to the NCAA. From attending international events to being keen towards collegiate events? Downgrade? Not really, as she did it out of pure interest. And after a few months of this announcement, Biles has made herself clear about her thoughts on this move of her former coach.

Simone Biles rallying in support for her former coach

Sometimes, the relationship between coaches and students change when they part ways. However, for Simone Biles and Cecile Landi, that’s definitely not the case. Indeed, throughout their journey, Simone Biles and Cecile Landi have supported each other through many ups and downs, and they continue to maintain this support in the same way they have since they first got to know each other.

Biles has been with Landi since the end of the Rio Olympics, and they have achieved numerous accolades together. And parting ways even after so much success doesn’t change anything. As reported by Athens Banner-Herald, the American gymnast went candid on her former coach, stating, “Cecile is a fun, free spirit, very motivational but also compassionate! She truly cares for her athletes as if they were her own children.”

The American gymnast was just 20 years old when she got her training from Landi. And immediately they formed a strong bond with each other. Every time they attended an event, Biles recalled her former coach’s constant motivation and her discipline to achieve her team’s targets. Moreover, Landi prioritized everyone on the mat and never let anyone feel left out, and never picked favorites or polarized herself. And what does Biles think about this new role? “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!” said the American gymnast.

Indeed, the NCAA differs significantly from international events, but Landi’s experience will undoubtedly make her a great coach, and Biles has confidence in her abilities. And coming to the 2024-25 NCAA season, Landi was very hopeful about her team, the Georgia Gymdogs, but the squad wasn’t able to meet the expectations and succumbed to defeat. However, the coach had a unique reaction to this event.

The American gymnast was correct about Cecile Landi

Simone Biles did say that no matter what, Cecile Landi is always supportive of her students. And the exact same thing was observed at the Denver Quad Meet. Indeed, the four-team event saw Georgia Gymdogs (195.975) only able to secure a third-place finish behind Denver and Missouri, who were first (196.575) and second (196.125), respectively. 

Landi’s team could’ve achieved that top step, or at least second position in the event, with a little bit of teamwork, but her gymnasts weren’t able to give the performance that many fans expected. But how did the coach react? “First meet ✔️ Proud of this team ❤️🖤” the Gymdogs coach wrote on her Instagram story, reposting Ryan Roberts’ Instagram post.

She had nothing but motivational words for her gymnasts. Indeed, the NCAA season is lengthy, and she understands her students well enough not to want them to succumb to pressure too early. The Gymdogs will have a lot of opportunities ahead of them, and Landi is nothing but excited for her NCAA journey.