Gemma Howell looking for element of surprise

http://youtu.be/4ifkqYTUkHk

Shropshire judoka Gemma Howell believes the element of surprise can catapult her onto the podium – insisting she can sneak under the radar at London 2012 as she prepares for her Olympic bow.

The 22-year-old, who tackles world champion Emane Gevrise tomorrow, is the first to admit that when British Judo chiefs instructed her to make the step up to the -63kg category for 2012, it was a move she greeted with trepidation.

Her two World Junior Championship bronze medals and two European Under-23 Championship bronzes have all came at -57kg – as did her seventh-place at the 2010 World Championships.

The move has proved fruitful, however, and after returning from a nine-month injury lay-off in May, Howell has won four competitions, including two World Cup victories.

And Howell is convinced she can exploit her anonymity as she bids to win Great Britain’s first Olympic judo medal since her mentor Kate Howey claimed silver at Sydney 2000.

“Hopefully I won’t be known by many of the players in the -63kg category, so I have to use that to my advantage and smash it on the day,” said Howell.

“It wasn’t my decision, I got told to do it. Looking back it was the right thing to do, I’ve put on muscle, and I’m in that weight group. I can train fully without that weight worry and it can work in my favour.

“At first, moving up a weight and not being sure if I was going to be selected was scary, because I was worried I might not get my chance to achieve my dream of a gold medal. But if anything it has made me realise how much I want it and anything can happen on the day.

“It was a challenge to change weights, I always thought my dream was to win the Olympics in -57kg, but then I realised it wasn’t that, it’s just to win the Olympics.

“Hopefully the other athletes will be concentrating on everybody else, and they’ll be in for a shock when they fight me.

“I feel I am a medal prospect. I don’t see the point to fight for seventh, with judo anything goes.”

“I couldn’t think of a better place to make my Olympic debut,” she added. “It’s hitting home how close it is.”

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Thanks to Sportsbeat for video footage.