Olympic champion Dani King says she has never experienced sexism while part of the British cycling team.
The 25-year-old, who was part of the quartet that won team pursuit gold at London 2012, admits former British Cycling's technical director Shane Sutton was tough on both the men and the women.
The row was sparked by Jess Varnish, who claims Sutton said she was "too old" and should "get on with having a baby" after she failed to qualify for the Rio Games.
Sutton stepped down from his role on Wednesday with 100 days to go until the Olympics and has denied the allegations.
And King insists she was not aware of any discrimination during her time with the team, telling Sky Sports: "It's obviously very upsetting for Jess personally, but for me I've never encountered sexism being on the program for a number of years.
"I feel for Jess being taken off the program, she's a good friend of mine, but in terms of the allegations, personally I've never experienced it myself.
"Shane is just a no-nonsense type of guy and he's no-nonsense with both the men and the women. I think it works for some people and it doesn't for others.
"But in terms of it just being for the women, that's definitely not true. It's both cases and it's just the way he works. He's a great motivator and it's a shame what has happened."