More often than not, an athlete’s success is a result of the collective effort of all the people standing in her corner. While Simone Biles‘ mettle and skills are beyond any doubt, one cannot entirely ignore the contribution of Cecile Landi to the gymnast‘s success. And now, as Simone’s long-time coach looks to lend her wisdom to her new squad, the Olympian can’t help but pay her tributes.

In her latest Instagram update on September 3, Simone Biles proclaimed the elite status of Landi once again. Captioned “QUEEEEEEEN,” the IG story shares the original post by the GymDogs, which celebrates its new co-head coach and hails her Olympic triumphs. The original post highlights how the 2024 US Team Trials and the Olympics were a special feature for Landi. The gymnastics veteran coached half of the USA’s women’s artistic gymnastics contingent, and the Georgia program naturally is elated by the thought that she will now be a part of their camp.

Landi was named the new head coach of the Georgia GymDogs in April. Since then, the country’s gymnastics community has been excited to see what she brings to the table for the team and if she can alleviate them of their recent NCAA misery. Along with the fans, the University of Georgia is also thrilled to welcome the celebrity coach to their ranks, and Biles could only affirm her coach’s superiority via an Instagram story. Since Landi took Biles under her wings in 2017, she has only helped the latter reach stellar new heights in her career.

Without Landi, there might not have been a Simone Biles

When Cecile began her coaching journey in the early 2000s, she vowed she would help gymnasts who didn’t necessarily tick all the boxes required to be an international icon. Landi understood she had the looks of a star, but was determined not to let the same thing get in the way for aspiring gymnasts. “An athlete like Simone would never have reached her full potential in France. Because she would have been put aside because she didn’t fit that box,” said Landi ahead of the Paris Games.

With that, Landi made it apparent that coaches need to put in the extra effort to nurture a skill rather than gymnasts having to bend their ways to the coaches’ liking. Naturally, with the extreme amount of support, Biles spread her wings without reservation and has since risen through the ranks to become the USA’s most decorated female gymnast of all time. And Biles can’t express her gratitude enough. “They’ve helped me a lot not just in the gym but out of the gym, too,” the iconic gymnastics star said about her coach Cecile, and her husband Laurent.

Thanks to her remarkable success with Biles and her teammates over the years, Landi was the obvious choice for the GymDogs when the previous head coach Courtney Kupets left the office. The prospect of helping the Georgia team back to its feet and regain its status in the NCAA scene was a lucrative one, and Landi is also excited to see how things unfold in the coming days. How do you think she will usher in a new era for the former nationally acclaimed collegiate gymnastics program? Share your predictions about the newly forged partnership with a comment below!