Judo: Howey going for gold again

KATE HOWEY, the middleweight world champion, begins her eighth attempt to win the European title today in Oviedo, Spain. In previous campaigns, she has had to be content with two silver and four bronze medals.

Howey will be fighting 4kg heavier than she did in Paris last October, when she took the world crown, a move that has not been out of choice. Last December, the International Judo Federation announced alterations to some of the weight divisions. "At first I was happy just to get a medal, then I think I've been unlucky a few times," she said.