Judo: Howey makes light work of rivals

With four gold medals from the women's team and one from the men's, the British Open Championships in Birmingham proved one of the most successful for some years for the home country.

The most impressive fighter was Kate Howey, at 23 a veteran having been representing Britain at senior level for a remarkable eight years. But it was a new, almost unrecognisable Howey who smashed one opponent after another into the mat on Saturday: she has slimmed down to middleweight, the 66 kilo category, after the last Olympiad at light-heavyweight.

Four superb throws, and an armlock put her beyond everyone's reach, and raises realistic hopes for medal success at the European championships in Ostend in a month's time.

The other gold medals were from the new generation of British fighters: Cheryl Peel (light-middleweight), Chloe Cowen (light-heavyweight) and Michelle Rogers (heavyweight), who also showed real international potential.

Yesterday Britain's solitary gold medal came from Winston Gordon, the 20-year middleweight from London, who edged past Ryan Birch, last year's European bronze medallist.