After guiding Simone Biles to a historic haul at the Paris Olympics, Cecile Landi is headed to Georgia. Appointed as the co-head coach of the Bulldogs’ gymnastics team, Landi will hope to revive a dormant giant. But before she landed in Georgia, Landi paid a visit to the World Champions Centre and even shared a heartfelt goodbye to Texas, her home for 17 years.

On the other hand, Simone Biles is already looking to get back to doing what she does best after she posted an Instagram story of herself at the WCC with the caption, “first day back 👀.” After clinching four medals in Paris, including 3 golds, Biles is now preparing for her second “Gold Over America Tour” (GOAT), which will kick off on September 16, in Oceanside, California. It looks like both the gymnast and her former coach are ready to move on to the next chapter of their lives, but not before bidding farewell.

Taking to her Instagram story on August 24, Biles posted a photo with Cecile and Laurent Landi with the caption, “End of an era 🥹🤞🏾🤍 it’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you later!” The Landis and Biles have worked together for seven years, having gone through a whirlwind of emotions. There was the low point following Tokyo 2021, the pain of which was washed away by Biles’ incredible performances in Paris.

It was in 2017 when the Landis were thinking about opening their own facility, when they came to know that Biles was seeking a new coach for her return to the mat. Cecile took up the role at WCC, owned by Biles’ parents and the rest is history. During her tenure, Cecile’s work with Biles and others such as Jordan Chiles and Joscelyn Roberson raised her stock and now she is taking up the co-head coach role with GymDogs. But the decision to leave Texas and WCC isn’t an easy one for her as well.

Landi reshared Biles’ story on her Instagram with heart and teary-eyed emojis. Following this she posted another story from George Bush International Airport as she prepared to leave for Georgia. Sharing a snap of the words, “Houston” on a wall, Landi wrote, “Goodbye Texas. Thank you for the past 17 years.”

The Landis had arrived in Texas in June 2007 after coaching for three years at the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma. After the move, they joined the famed World Olympics Gymnastics Academy and began training the next crop of talented gymnasts. During her decade-long tenure at WOGA, she served as a coach to Sophia Lee, Alyssa Baumann, and Briley Casanova while also working with other gymnasts like Madison Kocian.

Under Cecile’s watchful eye, many of her mentees gained full-time scholarships and became state, regional, and national champions. Her legacy will forever be intertwined with WCC’s success and vice-versa. Before bidding goodbye to Texas, Cecile also made sure to pay a visit to WCC, one more time.

On August 21,  she posted a video on her IG, which began with a “Thank you” note and had her posing alongside a number of athletes from WCC. She wrote in the caption,

“Thank you to the entire WCC family for your endless support and love I’ve felt these past 7 years 🥹 Thank you to all of my athletes and their families for your trust and commitment to our program! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for y’all ❤️ Forever WCC PROUD.”

Earlier, as well, Landi gave everyone a shoutout with another Instagram story captioned, “Thank you to my WCC family for making these past 7 years incredible! Lots of tears were shed today but I can’t wait to come visit! I’ll miss you all.” 

Leaving a last legacy at WCC, Landi’s high point came as coach of the US gymnastics team where two of her mentees Biles and Chiles excelled. She had come into the role with the aim of putting USA at the top of the gymnastics world and she bows out of her role, having achieved exactly that.

Landi’s next task will see her join Ryan Roberts at Georgia, as they seek to rebuild a once-dominant gymnastics program. Last year, they failed to qualify for the NCAA Championships meet, leading to coach Courtney Kupets losing her job. The current predicament of the Bulldogs is a far cry from their championship-winning years.

The program won five consecutive national championships in college gymnastics between 2005-2009, before going on a drought that is yet to end. After her Paris success, Cecile Landi will now focus on helping Georgia add to their 10 national gymnastics titles. This new dawn for Cecile brings an end to her iconic partnership with Biles.

After everything the two have been through together, it will be odd to not see Landi by her side. However, with both taking different directions at the moment, it will be a while before we see the two reunite again. 

Simone Biles and Cecile Landi were like a well-oiled machine

Simone Biles and her long-time coach had formed a healthy balance in their relationship. Despite taking over the role of a tutor, Landi wanted to ensure that her tutees understood that she was willing to back them up. Back in 2023, she also opened up about how her relationship with Simone and Co. relied on communication. The 44-year-old would try to observe the gymnasts’ body language to pick up on any signs of distress or discomfort. Once she’s sure, she would then make it a point to ask.

One of her most poignant times as Biles’ coach was during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 27-year-old was poised as the favorite to claim a few more medals to her name. However, she made the bold decision to step down from the women’s gymnastics team finals to focus on herself and her mental health.

Cecile Landi didn’t even question it and backed her decision. “I think we try to listen a little bit more to the athletes because mental health was not real in the nineties for me.” In a full-circle moment, this time around Biles has wholeheartedly supported her coach’s decision. What do you think of this dynamic duo? Let us know in the comments!