Simone Biles' former coach Cecile Landi reacts to Kirsty Coventry becoming IOC's 1st female President

The long-time head coach of Simone Biles, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, recently shared her thoughts about Kirsty Coventry being elected as the IOC President. Canqueteau-Landi, co-head coach of the Georgia GymDogs, expressed her elation through her Instagram post.

Cecile Canqueteau-Landi has coached several elite artists gymnasts through her coaching career. Under her tutelage, Simone Biles clinched six Olympic medals and three world all-around titles. The former French artistic gymnast mentioned:

“1st woman to become the President of the IOC!!!! UPLIFT WOMEN”

Screenshot of Cécile Canqueteau-Landi's Instagram post | Credits: IG/@cecilelandi

The Zimbabwe native Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee. She has become the first female to hold the position in the history of the IOC.

After the voting in the 144th session in Costa Navarino, Greece, Coventry attained the most votes. She has successfully succeeded Thomas Bach, whose twelve-year tenure will conclude in June 2025, as per the Olympics.

The former head coach of Biles, Canqueteau-Landi, joined the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in 2007 and continued till 2017. After leaving her position in WOGA, Canqueteau-Landi and her husband, former French gymnast and coach, Laurent Landi, joined the coaching department at the World Champions Centre.

The couple coached Biles through her decorated career along with prominent USA Women's Senior National Team members. In 2023, for their exemplary coaching achievement in sports, Canqueteau-Landi and Laurent Landi were inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Cecile Canqueteau-Landi reflects on learning new perspectives from Simone Biles

Cecile Canqueteau-Landi at the 2024 Sumer Olympics - Day 10 - Source: Getty

Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, a well-known artistic gymnast coach, tutored Simone Biles to prominent heights. During her journey, she gained new perspectives regarding mental health, and its significance was highlighted due to Biles' experience in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In an interview with the Olympics, Canqueteau-Landi shared:

“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. Then, I ask, 'What’s going on? Are you OK? Do you want to talk? Do we need to talk and take a day? That’s fine.'”

She continued,

“I think it’s more on a daily basis, being mindful and careful on the girls’ body language. We see them every day, so we can tell when something is off. It has definitely been a big change, and Simone has opened my eyes on a lot of things.”

Due to suffering from twisties, Simone Biles withdrew from several events in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Twisties are a kind of mental block where a gymnast undergoes a mind-body disconnect and faces difficulties in performing aerial moves. Despite the issue, Biles took home two medals.