Cecile Landi knows a thing or two about turning gymnasts into legends. After a stellar coaching stint at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, where she worked with big names like Katelyn Ohashi and Madison Kocian, Cecile and her husband Laurent teamed up with none other than Simone Biles at WCC. The goal? To take Simone’s already mind-blowing talent to even greater heights. Spoiler alert: mission accomplished. Simone snagged six Olympic medals across two Games under their guidance, cementing Cecile’s rep as a coaching powerhouse.

So, when Cecile announced she was leaving WCC to join the NCAA as co-head coach at the University of Georgia, jaws dropped. Why leave such a sweet gig? Well, Cecile’s finally spilling the tea, opening, up about the motive behind this.

In her appearance on the Flipping Out with Bridget Sloan podcast, Cecile Landi talked about her decision to leave Simone Biles’ WCC in favor of an NCAA coaching career at the University of Georgia. Cecile stated that she had always harbored dreams of taking over a college team and leading them to an NCAA title. She felt that this was the time to finally fulfill her dream of doing so. “I’ve always said I wanted to be an NCAA coach one day. I just wanted to finish where we have started,” she said. However, the coach had previously wanted to wait until her daughter Juliette Landi had finished high school.

This is because, as a diver, she would be exploring her own options to further her career after she graduated. “Ideally, I wanted my daughter to graduate high school in 2025. And then after that, Laurent and I would be open to any opportunities—you know, a national team here, in other countries, or in NCAA.” However, interest among colleges to acquire Simone Biles’ coach had increased immensely after they had gotten to know that she wanted to have an NCAA career from her close circle. This led to Ryan Roberts, co-head coach of the Georgia GymDogs, offering her the opportunity to coach alongside him just before the Paris Olympics.

However, Cecile wanted to concentrate on the main goal at hand. “It was just not the right time. I really wanted to finish at least Paris before, and I’ll be honest, when Ryan called me, I said no. I was like, ‘No, it’s a year too early. You know that.'” she said. But Ryan was willing to wait until the Olympics ended to get her on board.

She said, “He was like, “No, we’ll let you know. You’ll go back to Texas; we’ll help you. We’ll just make it work.” Like, yeah, they’ve been great for that. I’ve been able to go home, but yeah, the opportunity was too great for me to send out, and they were willing to wait after Paris to let me finish. I was like, If I can’t do that, I’m not coming. Right. I have to do what I’ve started.”

Thus, it was decided that Cecile Landi would carry out her coaching duties in Paris and then join the University of Georgia as the co-head coach. Cecile found quite some success in Paris, coaching Simone Biles to four medals and establishing herself as one of the best around. Now, she can peacefully step away and take the new NCAA challenge with the gymnast’s blessing.

Simone Biles to set foot at the University of Georgia for a perfect reunion with Cecile Landi

Even though Cecile Landi left WCC, it looks like her bond with Simone Biles isn’t going anywhere. The GOAT herself is set to make a star appearance at Cecile’s debut meet as head coach of the Georgia Gymdogs on January 17. USA Gymnastics hyped it up on Instagram, sharing, “We are super excited to announce that special guest Simone Biles will be attending the GymDogs’ first home meet of the season!✨ Join us as we honor our Olympians and alumni on January 17th vs. Boise State!” Talk about rolling out the red carpet! For Cecile, Simone’s visit is a major flex and a potential morale booster for her squad, who haven’t snagged an NCAA title in 15 years.

Having the GOAT in the house? That’s bound to light a fire under the Gymdogs as they aim to impress. And let’s be real, Simone’s presence screams, “I’ve got your back,” proving their relationship is rock solid despite no longer working together.

This level of support shouldn’t come as a shock, though. When Cecile announced her move to Georgia, Simone was her biggest cheerleader. “I’m so happy for you. You need to go,” she told her coach, even gushing on Instagram with, “Congratulations, Cecile; I can’t think of a more deserving person.” The duo achieved so much together, and it’s clear they’re still rooting for each other. Fingers crossed this friendship stays gold—just like Simone’s medals!