Gemma Howell gutted at Olympic exit

Distraught Gemma Howell this afternoon insisted she could have few complaints about the decision which meant her Olympic 2012 campaign ended in disqualification heartache.

The Telford judoka was in contention to pull off a shock victory against France’s World and European champion Gevrise Emane in the under-63kg category at a packed ExCel Arena in London this morning.

There was little to separate the fighters before Howell was warned for being too passive and then, with just seconds remaining, was disqualified for an illegal leg wrap.

The decision seemed harsh but Howell admitted she had no arguments.

“I think it was the right decision,” said the 22-year-old, a former pupil at Thomas Telford School.

“I was down towards the end of the fight and I knew she was ahead so I felt I had nothing to lose.

“A few years ago it would have been fine, but now it is not allowed any more. In my head I knew that, but I was under pressure.”

Howell did well to even make Team GB after ripping her anterior cruciate ligament injury and only returning to full-time training in March.

After stepping up from the under-57kgs category, Howell won four tournaments in the build-up to the the Olympics and admitted winning gold had been the only thing on her mind.

She added: “I don’t have any positive thoughts right now. Maybe when I go home and look at it again I will, but right now I am just completely gutted.

“I did not come here to fight hard, I came here to win it. That’s what makes being Olympic champion so special, you have one chance every four years.

“Rio is the next big thing for me now. It was an amazing experience and I will take this forward but I did not do what I wanted to do.”

Howell joins Telford’s Kelly Edwards and Shrewsbury’s Danny Williams in suffering a first-round judo exit.