The gymnastics world is buzzing with exciting news as one of the sport's most celebrated coaching duos is reuniting on the collegiate stage. Laurent Landi is joining his wife, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, on the Georgia GymDogs staff as associate head coach—a move that promises to elevate an already resurgent program.
Canqueteau-Landi, who became the sole head coach of Georgia women's gymnastics after Ryan Roberts departed for Auburn last month, couldn't contain her excitement. "So excited to be working together again! GO DAWGS," she shared on Instagram, reflecting the energy surrounding this reunion.
The timing couldn't be better for the GymDogs. Under Canqueteau-Landi's leadership, Georgia has been making waves in NCAA gymnastics. Their sixth-place finish at the NCAA championships in April marked the program's best performance since 2016, and seven All-American honors were the most since 2014. Now, with Laurent joining the Athens staff full-time, the trajectory points even higher.
Laurent Landi has been a familiar presence at Georgia home meets over the past two years, serving as a consultant while working with the Mexican and French national teams, as well as several U.S. clubs. "Seeing him at every home meet becoming more and more invested, I had a feeling he would eventually want to join me in helping bring this program back to the top," Canqueteau-Landi said in a statement. "His experience, passion, and commitment to excellence will make such a positive impact on our student-athletes and our future."
The Landis' journey is a remarkable story in gymnastics. Both are French natives—Cecile represented France at the 1996 Olympics—and they moved to the United States in 2004. They rose to prominence coaching Madison Kocian, who won an uneven bars title at the 2015 world championships and helped the U.S. women secure team gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In 2017, they joined World Champions Centre, the Houston-area gym owned by Simone Biles' parents, and began coaching the seven-time Olympic champion when she returned to training in 2018. Working with the Landis, Biles cemented her legacy as the greatest gymnast of all time, earning a record 41 medals across Olympics and world championships, five skills named after her, and becoming one of only three women to win two Olympic all-around titles—the first to achieve this at non-consecutive Games.
The Landis also coached two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles, further showcasing their ability to develop elite talent. Now, their combined expertise is set to energize Georgia's program as they aim to bring the GymDogs back to championship glory.