America’s most decorated gymnast of all time Simone Biles has her plates full, and not just for the upcoming Olympics. The US Classic is just around the corner as well, and the 27-year-old needs to make sure to get her A-game with the big spectacle only 72 days away. However, there might be a few people around her to make sure her journey back to the top is smooth sailing.
Simone’s trainer Cecile Landi has remained a firm support in her Olympic dreams for a long time. While Biles’ run at the Tokyo Olympics didn’t end on a high note, she’s been steadily gaining back her prowess over the past months. And the reigning world champ couldn’t stay away from hailing her other mentor other than Landi on their special day.
In her latest series of Instagram stories, Biles shared behind-the-scenes clips from her arduous training for the US Classic. There, she can be seen being lent a helping hand by French gymnastics team choreographer, Gregory Milan, who is also celebrating his birthday today. After wishing Gregory a happy birthday in one of her posts, Biles also shared how the veteran has been keeping a close eye on her beam and floor routines. Having Gregory beside her can uplift her mood entirely, revealed Simone as she captioned another story: “your energy is electric“.
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“everyone needs a greguito in their life!!! we always have the best time!” sounded Biles’ cheery announcement. For Gregory’s big day, Simone’s former coach, and the 1996 Olympian, Landi also took to social media to commemorate their friendship. Supervising Simone’s routines at the training camp, Milan was seen sharing chuckles with the gymnast and with Landi, in a post from one week ago.
Milan comes from a dancing background, the main reason why it was difficult for the French national team’s choreographer to find his place within the gymnastics fraternity. “Since I didn’t come from gymnastics, people didn’t trust me at first, even though dance and gymnastics share very high standards“, Gregory was heard brooding in an interview from last year. However, over the years, he has managed to carve out a niche for himself by introducing several elements of his liking into the “rough” movements of gymnastics. It seems that Simone is on the luckier side of things when it comes to the mentors.
Simone Biles’ long-term association with Cecile Landi has now come to an end with the former’s move to Georgia as the head coach. But, their bond hasn’t faded a bit, and Cecile continues to be one of the biggest cheerleaders in Simone’s corner.
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Cecile Landi remains one of Simone Biles’ most ardent supporters
Only recently, Landi spilled some beans about Simone’s big plans for the upcoming Olympics. Revealing that her former student is aiming to undertake some dangerous moves, the coach said, “Right now she’s doing more of the double pike…she’s ready for it“. “The Amara is easy for her and it’s back and then the Chang and the, the bars one I can’t remember. She’s practiced that too“, added Cecile in a recent interview, noting that her student’s arsenal isn’t any threat of going thin at the Paris Games.
With Biles having five moves named after her, Cecile also believes retirement won’t be on the table for the four-time Olympic gold medalist just yet.On top of that, Landi has maintained that Biles’ focus on bolstering her mental health is commendable.
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“She really seems to be kind of taking a different approach this Olympic cycle and kind of toning it back a little bit and focusing on her mental health…she’s really in tune with how she’s feeling mentally and physically, speaking up about it, keeping up with her therapist weekly. She knows it’s important“, said the coach in the same podcast.
With so many supportive hands on her shoulders, it remains to be seen if Simone Biles can pull off another spectacular feat on her third appearance at the Olympic Games, or if now’s the time to pass on the mantle to the newer generations.