Judo: Howey throws out a warning

A THREE-SECOND win in the first round of the European Championships here yesterday was something of a dream start for the 19-year-old light-heavyweight Kate Howey, writes Philip Nicksan from Athens.

She bowed to her Serbian opponent, took three steps forward, grabbed both trouser legs and whipped the surprised Zeljka Aladzic backwards with such force that the breath was knocked from her body.

The first real test, though, came in the second round. The British teenager won an Olympic bronze at middleweight but now needed to make the transition from 66kg to 72kg. These European Championships are her first top-rank event at this weight, so she was more pleased by her win against Germany's ranked Christine Meierarent.

The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham will host the 1995 European Championships, the first time the event will have taken place in Britain.