Howell came to prominence after winning the lightweight division at the British Judo Championships in 2006.[5] As well as successfully defending the title in 2007 and 2008, she won medals at the 2008 World Junior and European Junior Championships.[4] In 2010, she won a medal at the European U23 Championships before winning a fourth British title in 2011.[5]
In 2012, Howell was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She competed in the Women's 63 kg, but was defeated in the first round.[6] The following year she won her fifth and last British Championship, this time at the heavier weight of half-middleweight. In 2014, Howell took three medals at the Heart of England Championships, the Zagreb Grand Prix and the European Open in Glasgow.[7] She also represented Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, competing in the women's 70 kg event.[8]
In May 2019, Howell was selected to compete at the 2019 European Games in Minsk, Belarus.[9] She won the silver medal in her event at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv held in Tel Aviv, Israel.[10]
In 2022, Howell achieved her best success to date after winning the gold medal at the 2022 European Judo Championships in Sofia. Competing in the women's 63 kg she defeated Laura Fazliu in the final.[11] Following this major success she then went on to win a silver medal in the 63 kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
In December 2023, she announced her retirement after a very successful career that also included eleven surgeries for injuries.[12]
