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Is Simone Biles Retiring After Paris Olympics 2024? Coach Cécile Landi’s Departure to Georgia Hints

Published 04/26/2024, 12:13 PM EDT

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Simone Biles and Cecile Landi’s 7-year-long camaraderie will soon end at the WCC, but both will have each other’s backs in life. Georgia Gymnastics has finalized Landi as their newly recruited coach, the position which had LSU’s Jay Clark as a top seed. The French-born, who competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, coached at the French National Training Centre. For reasons unpleasant, she shifted to America in 2004 to start her journey afresh, alongside her husband Laurent Landi.

After some gym trips, she stopped at WCC to resort to gymnasts like Biles. Her entry at the WCC in 2017 changed Simone’s life since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics loomed over. But their bond transcended the usual coach-athlete relationship. Considering that, will Biles consider retiring after the Paris Olympics?

Simone Biles gave a new perspective to Cecile Landi

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Crediting the small details in her education to steer her coaching journey, Landi always wished to inspire young women. Going candid with Olympics.com, she had once said, “I feel complete as an athlete, so when I moved to coaching, it was more like, ‘How can I help them feel the same way? What can I do to help them accomplish their dreams?” 

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Psychologically handling the young buds travels back to her education days in France. She further said that her understanding of the impact of negative comments is profound. Not only did Simone Biles impart knowledge about mental health to her coach, but they also kept Landi on her toes during high-intensity training sessions.

After Simone Biles faced the twisties amid the Tokyo Olympics, she took a stand to prioritize her mental health over career duties. This impacted Landi so much that one of her statements assured, “Talking with Simone and with the girls… I just want them to know that they can tell me anything. I watch the body language a lot, I try to see”. 

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When the Landi couple left France, they were repeatedly told that they would fall short in America. So, in a way, the following questions popped up in her head – “How can you get her better? How can you make her better?” But the indomitable determination of the Olympian made her believe in her tutoring qualities. Now when she’s exiting, this can be the end of the GOAT’s career.

An instance where Biles hinted at a professional satiation

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In a “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Alex Cooper welcomed Biles as her exclusive guest. After she was done narrating her life story, relationship with her parents, gymnastics, and husband, her concluding statement was,I’m kind of at the age where I’ve been, I don’t really have any more regrets ’cause I’m a little bit older, I’m more mature. I, everything I’ve done has kind of been on like my time.”. This asserted that the Olympian had nothing more to lose or root for. She has amassed the title ‘GOAT’ and that did the job right. 

In 2028, when it’ll be time for another Olympic Games, Biles will be 31. This is not an age that an age women gymnasts ideally perform at. So, keeping that in mind, we can assume that the 2024 Paris Olympics will be her final Olympic stint. However, she can still give it a shot at the Worlds or the Nationals.

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Written by:

Agnijeeta Majumder

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Agnijeeta Majumder is an Olympic Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Being a former sprinter herself, Agnijeeta takes a specific interest in field events. She covers track and field, equestrian sports, alpine skiing, and gymnastics.
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Edited by:

Sampurna Pal