Hosts Great Britain topped the medal table at K2 Crawley on day one of the London British Open European Cup on Saturday.
Gemma Howell, fresh from her Baku Grand Prix bronze medal last weekend, relished competing in front of a home crowd in her second event back from injury as she battled her way to -63kg glory with five victories.
Howell defeated compatriot Faith Pitman in a nervy final which will influence the Olympic selection process for the host nation.
Sally Conway was in fine form as she marched to -70kg success as she won all five contests by ippon. And Gemma Gibbons, who was campaigning in the -78kg category, emerged from some lung-busting encounters to reign supreme with four wins.
Elsewhere European bronze medallist Karina Bryant fought her way through the repechage to claim the +78kg bronze medal.
Lizzie Flint, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
