It looks like Simone Biles’ cheering and Jonathan Owens’ note-taking have finally paid off! Competing in the very first home game, the Georgia girls did not disappoint. In front of a buzzing 10,523 crowd at the Stegeman Coliseum, Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and her girls proved their worth as they secured a dominating victory to get their latest NCAA campaign up and running. 

Going up against Boise State, the GymDogs garnered a score of 196.825 to clinch victory. On the contrary, Boise State put up a sorry display of affairs. Struggling to cope with Georgia’s talented gymnasts, the Boise State athletes could only muster 193.600, ending up on the losing side. Taking to Instagram, ‘ugagymnastics’ posted the update as the caption read, “GEORGIA WINS THE HOME OPENER!! The GymDogs defeat Boise State in front of a sold-out crowd at Stegeman Coliseum!”

Looking at a detailed breakdown of how the two teams performed, it is clear that the GymDogs were way ahead in the race. Coached by Cecile Landi, Georgia gymnasts scored 48.975 in vault, 49.375 on bars, 49.100 on beam, and 49.375 on the floor. In stark contrast, Boise State failed to match the incredible athleticism of Landi’s girls. They scored 48.575 in vault, 49.125 on bars, 48.700 on beam and 47.200 on the floor. While the Boise State did give a tough competition in the initial phase, it was the beam and the floor that they faltered and lost the plot. 

Surely, this would be a huge relief for both the gymnasts as well as Cécile Landi. After all, her debut with Georgia did not go as expected. Having a star-studded CV, Landi boasted of being the former coach of the gymnastics GOAT, Simone Biles. She also had shining accolades as a coach during her time back at the World Champions Center. Naturally, it was expected that Landi’s inclusion would spell wonders for the GymDogs. Unfortunately, competing at the Denver Quad Meet, Georgia faltered badly.

Back on January 4, 2025, Georgia made their debut this season at the Denver Quad Meet. And while they were tantalizingly close to the top two, Cécile Landi’s girls fell short. Finishing behind Denver and Missouri, Georgia mustered 195.975 from their 4 apparatuses. However, despite having an average start, Landi was not ready to give up hope on her team. Taking to her social media, she applauded the girls for their efforts by writing, “First meet ✔️ Proud of this team.” Well, and if Landi’s faith was not enough, the team must have been significantly charged up with the presence of none other than Simone Biles.

Simone Biles becomes the lucky charm for Georgia

In December last year, the program announced that Simone Biles will be in attendance for their first home game. And as soon as the news dropped, the hype went through the roof! With a surge in demand for tickets, the game was sold out weeks ahead of D-day. Well, Biles did not disappoint too. She has always been a huge supporter of Cécile Landi in her life decisions. When she announced her parting from the WCC, there were murmurs about the decision. 

However, it was Biles who extended her friendly hands of support and has been in regular touch with her ex-coach ever since. Ahead of the January 17 match, Biles sprung up with a couple of surprises. Firstly, she unveiled a custom-made GymDogs jersey which she debuted in front of the packed 10,523 audience. Next up, the 7x Olympic gold medalist also took Jonathan Owens along with her in a bid to surprise both Landi and the Georgia crowd. 

Surely enough, Owens too, took out his notes and began to jot down the points for Georgia as he had previously done for Biles. His lucky omen seemed to work as GymDogs finally got their maiden victory that they were desperately searching for this season. Cécile Landi and co. will now travel to Florida in an away fixture on January 24, 2024. Thus, it will be interesting to see whether they can continue with the winning momentum or not.