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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.
Sarah Jayne Adlington is a British judoka.
Majlinda Kelmendi is a Kosovan-Albanian former judoka and judo coach.
Sally Conway is a Scottish retired judoka who competed for Team GB in the 2012 and the 2016 Summer Olympics in the women's 70 kg judo event. Conway won a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics. She competed for Scotland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she won a bronze medal at the at women's 70 kg judo event. As of 2024, Conway coaches Sweden's national judo team.
Clarisse Bogdanna Agbegnenou is a French judoka. Competing in the −63 kg weight division she won the European title in 2013, the world title in 2014, an Olympic silver medal in 2016, and an Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in July 2021.
Odette Giuffrida is an Italian judoka. She won the gold medal in the women's 52 kg event at the 2024 World Judo Championships held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She competed at the 2023 World Judo Championships, where she placed third in the women's 52 kg.
Sanne van Dijke is a Dutch judoka. She is the 2017 and 2021 European gold medalist in the 70 kg division. She won one of the bronze medals in the women's 70 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She is also a two-time bronze medalist in the women's 70 kg event at the World Judo Championships.
Timna Nelson-Levy is an Israeli Olympic judoka. She competes in the under 57 kg weight category and represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the mixed team event. In European Championships, she won a gold medal in 2022 and bronze in 2016 and 2024. Nelson-Levy will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in judo in the women's 57 kg on 29 July 2024, and in the mixed team event.
Loriana Kuka is a Kosovan judoka. She won Judo Grand Prix in Tbilisi (2019), Tashkent (2018) and Antalya (2018). She represented Kosovo at the 2019 European Games in Minsk and won the bronze medal in –78 kg. She won the bronze medal in the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo
Shirine Boukli is a French judoka. She won the silver medal in the women's 48 kg event at the 2023 World Judo Championships held in Doha, Qatar. She won the gold medal in the women's 48 kg event at the European Judo Championships in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Romane Dicko is a French judoka. In 2021, she won one of the bronze medals in the women's +78 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She is also a two-time gold medalist at the European Judo Championships and she won gold in her event at the 2021 Judo World Masters held in Doha, Qatar.
Karla Prodan is a Croatian judoka. She won one of the bronze medals in the women's 78 kg event at the 2020 European Judo Championships held in Prague, Czech Republic. She competed in the women's 78 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Michaela Polleres is an Austrian judoka. In 2021, she won the silver medal in the women's 70 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She is also a bronze medalist at the 2021 and 2023 World Championships and the 2018 European Championships. She is a third degree black belt.
Chelsie Giles is a British judoka. She won the gold medal in the women's 52 kg event at the 2022 European Judo Championships held in Sofia, Bulgaria. She won one of the bronze medals in her event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Giles' medal was the first awarded to Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Réka Pupp is a Hungarian judoka. She is a two-time bronze medalist at the European Judo Championships and she competed at multiple editions of the World Judo Championships. She also represented Hungary at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and the European Games in 2015 and 2019.
Beata Pacut-Kłoczko is a Polish judoka. She is a bronze medalist at the 2022 World Judo Championships and a gold medalist at the 2021 European Judo Championships. She also competed at the World Judo Championships in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Anna-Maria Wagner is a German judoka. She won the gold medal in the women's 78 kg event at the 2021 World Judo Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. She also won one of the bronze medals in both the women's 78 kg and mixed team events at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
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.
Raz Hershko is an Israeli European champion and Olympic judoka. She was the 2015 European U18 Champion, the 2017 European U23 championships silver medalist, and won a bronze medal in the 2023 world championships. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in mixed team. She is the 2024 European Champion. Hershko will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in judo in the women's +78 kg on 2 August 2024, and in the mixed team event.
Szofi Özbas is a Hungarian judoka. She competed in the women's 63 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.