Georgia Hires Simone Biles' Coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi as Co-Head Coach

The University of Georgia has hired Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, the longtime personal coach of Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles, to serve as the co-head coach of the GymDogs women's gymnastics program alongside Ryan Roberts. Canqueteau-Landi, who competed for France at the 1996 Olympics, has coached Biles since 2017, helping her win three world all-around titles and two medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Canqueteau-Landi and her husband Laurent have served as the leaders of the elite program at World Champions Centre, the Houston-area gym owned by the Biles family. She will work to revitalize a Georgia program that has not won an NCAA team championship since 2009 and failed to qualify for this season's NCAA championship. Roberts spent the last two years as an assistant under Courtney Kupets Carter, who was fired last week after seven seasons as the GymDogs' head coach.

Why this matters: The hiring of Canqueteau-Landi and Roberts is seen as a move to make Georgia a championship contender once again after the program faced difficulties in recent years. Both coaches are praised for their accomplishments and experience in developing world-class gymnasts, and they are expected to provide strong leadership and guidance to the current and future Georgia gymnasts.

Canqueteau-Landi is a U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductee who has coached 11 U.S. Senior National Team members, including Madison Kocian, Alyssa Baumann, and Jordan Chiles. She expressed her enthusiasm for the opportunity to work with the GymDogs team, stating that her experiences in gymnastics have helped her become a coach who prioritizes the well-being of athletes and helps them reach their full potential.

Canqueteau-Landi will not start at UGA until August, as she plans to remain with Biles at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. "Cecile Landi has extensive coaching experience, having worked with the U.S. national gymnastics team and coached several successful gymnasts, including Biles, Alyssa Baumann, Jordan Chiles, Madison Kocian, and Joscelyn Roberson," the university stated. Biles congratulated Canqueteau-Landi on the new role, saying that the University of Georgia gymnastics team is in "great hands."

Key Takeaways

• UGA hired Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, Simone Biles' coach, as co-head gymnastics coach.
• Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts aim to revitalize UGA's struggling gymnastics program.
• Canqueteau-Landi is a U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Famer with extensive coaching experience.
• Canqueteau-Landi will remain with Biles for the 2024 Olympics before starting at UGA.
• Biles congratulated Canqueteau-Landi, saying UGA's gymnastics team is in "great hands."