Battling through pain barrier is nothing new for Gemma Howell

Yet the shoulder injury she nursed at Birmingham 2022 was a mere scratch compared to the physical challenge the Stafford judoka has overcome to reach this point.

Read through Howell’s list of injuries and in every respect it is remarkable, at the age of 32, she is not only still competing but arguably in the form of her life.

Even she struggles to remember when and where her 10 major operations, including reconstruction surgeries on both knees and a procedure to repair a disc in her neck, took place.

“They do kind of blur,” she laughs.

At one point in 2014, when diagnosed with a knee infection, Powell was warned she might lose her leg.

“The surgeon listed risks that could have come from it. The infection was quite bad,” she recalls.

“Strangely, the only thing which stuck in my head was my ACL might need reconstructing again, not the amputation. Hopefully now, I’m strong as a robot.”

The damaged shoulder ligaments and tendons confirmed last week in a scan will require a few weeks rest but missing the Games was never an option.

“It was never a question of not fighting. It was a case of, how much it is going to hurt?” she explained. “My shoulder was never going to fall off. So I just cracked on. In the end, I think adrenaline got me through.”

Chatting barely 12 hours after coming off the mat and with the medal hanging proudly round her neck, Howell is all smiles.

Yet inevitably, when considering her history, there have been dark times. Howell nearly quit judo altogether in 2016 when she failed to make the squad for the Rio Olympics. The continual stream of bad luck and injuries, meanwhile, also prompted her at various points to question the point of continuing.

Howell, who now lives in Telford, credits the support of family - most notably “super fan” mom Suzanne - for helping her through, together with the coaching and support staff at British Judo's Walsall base.

“I’ve been on a rollercoaster, that is for sure,” she said. “The 10 operations are a big part of my journey. I’ve come back every time. At one point, I think I just got numb to finding out bad news.

“When I was lying on the hospital bed after my neck operation thinking judo was not worth it. Thank you to everyone who helped me get through it. I am so glad I did.

“Family played a big part. They had to wipe most of my tears. I also have to thank the support staff a British judo.

“The physios, doctors and surgeons. I feel I have spent as much time with them as I have with my judo coaches. Even the simple things, like a bit of a chat over a hot chocolate. Those are the little things which keep you going. This makes it all worthwhile.”

If Howell is being completely honest, the silver medal came with the slightest tinge of disappointment. After achieving the biggest victory of her career by winning gold at April’s European Championships, she arrived at the Commonwealth Games targeting the top step of the podium. Instead, Canada’s Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, an opponent she defeated earlier this year, proved just too strong in the gold medal match.

The bigger picture, however, remains overwhelmingly positive. After all, those injuries meant this has been her first experience of a Commonwealth Games.

Powell’s decision, taken on the advice of coach Bill Kelly, to move back down to 63kgs from 70 has meanwhile proven a masterstroke and with Paris 2024 approaching on the horizon, her career has a new lease of life.

“Today one of the major emotions is relief (the Commonwealths) is over because it has been building up for such a long time and I have been nervous for a long time,” she said.

“I am just really, really happy. From the start of the year, moving down to 63kg and having zero points on the world ranking lists, I didn’t even know if I would be selected for the Commonwealths. To have a medal. I am very, very happy.”

She continued: “It was my coach’s suggestion to come down a weight and generally, I do what he says. I have full trust in him.

“We had a discussion with the support team for what was the best thing. So far this year I’ve had three personal bests, so it was 100 per cent the right decision.

“Life was happier at 70 because I could eat whatever I wanted. But I was probably a bit too short for the weight and always trying to put weight on.

“A lot of the 70s girls would be coming down, while I was always trying to get up. Now I’m in the position where I am coming down for 63s. I think that has helped.

“Paris is in the back of everyone’s minds. We have the Masters at the end of the year which is a big one. I just want to keep this momentum going.”