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Born | Stafford, England | 13 June 1990|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation | Judoka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Judo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight class | –63 kg, –70 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Wolverhampton Judo Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Bill Kelly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retired | 11 December 2023 [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Olympic Games | R32 (2012, 2020) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
World Champ. | 7th (2010) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
European Champ. | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Commonwealth Games | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Profile at external databases | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IJF | 1120 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
JudoInside.com | 36101 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Updated on 12 December 2023. |
Gemma Howell (born 13 June 1990) is a British retired [1] judoka from Stafford, England, who competed at the Olympic Games. [2] [3] [4]
Howell came to prominence after winning the lightweight division at the British Judo Championships in 2006. [5] As well as successfully defending the title in 2007 and 2008, she won medals at the 2008 World Junior and European Junior Championships. [4] In 2010, she won a medal at the European U23 Championships before winning a fourth British title in 2011. [5]
In 2012, Howell was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She competed in the Women's 63 kg, but was defeated in the first round. [6] The following year she won her fifth and last British Championship, this time at the heavier weight of half-middleweight. In 2014, Howell took three medals at the Heart of England Championships, the Zagreb Grand Prix and the European Open in Glasgow. [7] She also represented Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, competing in the women's 70 kg event. [8]
In May 2019, Howell was selected to compete at the 2019 European Games in Minsk, Belarus. [9] She won the silver medal in her event at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv held in Tel Aviv, Israel. [10]
In 2022, Howell achieved her best success to date after winning the gold medal at the 2022 European Judo Championships in Sofia. Competing in the women's 63 kg she defeated Laura Fazliu in the final. [11] Following this major success she then went on to win a silver medal in the 63 kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
In December 2023, she announced her retirement after a very successful career that also included eleven surgeries for injuries. [12]
Kate Louise Howey is a former elite British judoka. She remains the only British woman to have won two Olympic judo medals and shares with fellow Olympic medalist Karina Bryant the record of being the only British judoka to have competed at four Olympic Games.
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Francesca Milani is an Italian judoka. Born in Rome, in 2018 she won one of the bronze medals in the women's 48 kg event at the Mediterranean Games held in Tarragona, Spain. She competed at several editions of the World Judo Championships. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
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