[1] In 1996, Howey was selected for her second Olympic Games reaching the quarter-finals where she was defeated by eventual silver medalist Yoko Tanabe of Japan.

At the 1997 World Judo Championships in Paris, she won the gold medal after defeating Anja von Rekowski in the final.

In 1999, she was unable to retain her World title but gained compensation with a bronze medal[1] and the following year she won a European silver in May, before she went to her third Olympics.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics she competed in the women's 70 kg and performed superbly reaching the final where she lost out to Sibelis Veranes for the gold medal.

[6] Her final major appearance was at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens, where she was honored to bear the national flag at the opening ceremony.