“One year hotter” - Simone Biles pens heartwarming wish on her former coach Cecile Landi’s birthday

Simone Biles recently shared a heartfelt birthday wish for her former coach, Cecile Landi, who turned 46 on October 3. Biles was coached by Landi from 2017 until the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Biles shared a snap of herself and her coach, Landi, along with their respective spouses, on her Instagram profile. The 28-year-old gymnast also thanked Landi for her immense support.

Biles wrote in the caption of her Instagram story,

"Happy birthday @CecileLandi. Love youuu, one year hotter!"

Screengrab of Simone Biles' Instagram story for Cecile Landi [Image Source : Simone Biles' Instagram]

The Olympic gymnast further added in the caption,

"To be coached by her was an honor!"

Cecile Landi was a French gymnast who represented her country at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She relocated to the USA in search of better opportunities alongside her boyfriend [now husband], Laurent Landi, by 2004.

After providing her coaching services to various institutions, including the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, Landi joined the World Champions Center in 2017 and coached Simone Biles alongside her teammate and fellow gymnast Jordan Chiles until 2024.

Cecile Landi is currently working as the co-head coach of the Georgia Gymdogs. While she accepted the job by early 2024, Landi only joined the team after coaching Biles and Jordan Chiles for one last time at the Paris Olympics held last year.

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When Cecile Landi once opened up about Simone Biles' response to mental health

Cecile Landi with Simone Biles at Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source : Getty]

Cecile Landi once recalled how Simone Biles perceived her mental health. The Olympic champion gymnast opened up about her situation after the 'twisties' phenomenon compelled her to withdraw from most of the events at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

In her conversation with the Olympics.com website in 2023, Landi revealed that the Larry Nassar case had left several women athletes, including Simone Biles, traumatized. In her words,

"I think we try to listen a little bit more to the athletes because mental health was not real in the nineties for me. Mental health became more and more [important] in the past five years, I would say, with the scandal in USA Gymnastics and all those athletes that were abused, that’s when we saw that it did affect them way more than we ever thought.

Landi further added,

"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."

Simone Biles had won a silver medal and a bronze medal in the team all-around and the balance beam event at the Tokyo Olympics. The gymnast had to wait for three more years to bounce back in style with the quadrennial event held in Paris last year.