Simone Biles’s new coaches delivered the challenge she wanted and support she needed

The Landis, by contrast, regard coaching as a partnership not rooted in power but in open communication with athletes, marked by the give-and-take and compromise of a relationship. Their approach reflects nearly four decades of experience — first as competitive gymnasts themselves, trained in an era in which harshness was the norm, then as coaches at prominent American gyms that developed athletes for U.S. national and Olympic teams, including their own protege, 2016 Olympic medalist Madison Kocian.