Coach Cecile Landi has seen her athletes reach the highest of highs and lowest of lows. After personally coaching Simone Biles for over half a decade, she played a pivotal part in helping the gymnast redeem herself in Paris. After her incredible Olympic success with Team USA, the Hall of Famer has returned to the roots, to foster a new generation of champions.

Ahead of the Paris Olympics, Landi announced she would join the University of Georgia as co-head coach after the Games. While the move shocked some, one-half of the renowned Landi coaching duo found support from the likes of Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, and others. Earlier, the coach posted about her first day of a new chapter.

“It was a good day. So happy to be finally in Athens” Cecile Landi wrote on her Instagram story, while sharing an exclusive glimpse of her new beginning with the Georgia Bulldogs. The University of Georgia welcomed their new coach with open arms. “Gang’s all here! First practice with co-head coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi!” wrote the Georgia Gymnastics Instagram handle.

The official Georgia Bulldogs page posted a handful of images of the 44-year-old interacting with the gymnasts. One of the images also captured the former Olympian in conversation with co-head coach Ryan Roberts. Roberts is also a new addition to the Georgia Gymnastics having joined the team a little over a week ahead of Landi.

In fact, the gymnastics coach also made a day-1 post after joining the coaching staff. “Day 1 with the new crew! Looking forward to it!” wrote the USA Gymnastics National Staff. He was also excited for Cecile Landi’s arrival. “Can’t wait for @cecilelandi to join us!” the coach added in his August 15 post. However, the coaching staff at Georgia weren’t the ones who felt excited.

With Roberts and Landi as new head coaches, it’s clear that the University of Georgia is planning to revamp its gymnastics program. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the youngest gymnasts also beamed with excitement to work with Landi. The 44-year-old’s presence even prompted a young star to end her early retirement.

Can Cecile Landi revive the career of a forgotten prodigy?

When Ryan Roberts posted a photograph of his first day with the girls at Georgia Gymnastics, fans got a pleasant surprise. Of the 22 girls who appeared in Rboters’ post, eagle-eyed fans spotted Kara Eaker. The Bulldogs later made it official that the Eaker was indeed joining the team. Despite being a 2x world champion Eaker announced her retirement from the sport at just 20.

The gymnastics star cited her horrific experience at Utah. “For two years, while training with the Utah Gymnastics team, I was a victim of verbal and emotional abuse,” Eaker wrote in the 2023 announcement. However, Cecile Landi’s athlete-centric approach may have convinced the gymnast to reconsider. During Simone Biles’ mental block in Tokyo, she saw Landi stand by the champion.

Simone Biles herself publicly supported the Hall of Famer’s decision to move to Georgia. “I’m so happy for you. You need to go,” Biles told her long-time coach, which only solidified the fact that the veteran coach truly values her athletes. Now the question remains if the renowned coach will be able to get the Eaker back on track. However, Landi’s track record hints at nothing but success.