Judo: Howey's gold puts Britain back on the map

Kate Howey won Britain's first gold medal at the World Championships in Paris yesterday by taking the women's middleweight section.

The 24-year-old, a silver medallist at light-heavyweight in Canada four years ago, beat the powerful German, Anja von Rekowski by ippon in the final.

Earlier, she defeated Min-Sun Cho, the Korean world and Olympic champion, in the semi-final. She beat Cho in style, going straight into her attack and causing her opponent to hop out of danger. Then, suddenly, Howey bent down to snatch Cho's legs, pulled her into the air and pushed her on to her back. Howey had earlier beaten Edith Bosch of the Netherlands and Sally Bucton of South Africa.

British hopes for a medal were raised in the men's division as light- middleweight Graeme Randall beat three opponents including the European champion, Johann Laats of Belgium. Ok Chol Kwak, of North Korea, was a more difficult opponent, took the decision, and forced Randall into the repechage and a chance for a bronze.