Former British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton will be missed at the Rio Olympic Games, according to sprinter Becky James.
Sutton was suspended and then resigned in April and faces an investigation into accusations of bullying and sexism during his time at the helm.
The Australian was replaced by former programmes director Andy Harrison with just 100 days to go before the Games, and James admits it was hard to adjust when he left.
“He will be missed,” James told PA Sport.
“It was a hard few days when he first left and it was tough for the whole programme.
“But we had to move on and I had to knuckle down and get on with my training, knowing it would be a journey without him but I still had to get in the best possible form before Rio.”
>>> Becky James and her fightback to fitness
Having almost quit the sport in 2015 because of on-going injury problems, James credits Sutton as playing a key role in her comeback.
She returned to win bronze in the keirin in front of a home crowd at the World Championships in London in March, having missed riding at the venue in the 2012 Olympics.
“Shane was the one who always believed in me getting back,” said James, who also missed London 2012 because of illness and injury.
“He said to me: ‘You don’t have to do this, you have already achieved a lot and you can be happy with what you’ve done.’
“That gave me that bit extra to want to come back.”
James, 24, will compete in the individual sprint and keirin at the Olympics in Rio, which kick off on August 5.
