The Sanda World Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia, will be a family affair for cousins Jermal and Sentwali Woolridge.

Jermal, the elder of the two relatives, will carry Bermuda’s hopes in the men’s 90kg division, with Sentwali competing in the men’s 70kg category as a replacement for Abdulkhali Kov Ali, of Russia, who withdrew from the tournament.

The Sanda World Cup will be held at the Istora Senayan in Central Jakarta from November 20 to 21.

Accompanying the Woolridge cousins is Garon Wilkinson, the head coach and Bermuda Sanshou Association president, who is thrilled about two Bermudians competing at the top level.

“This event is considered the ‘Super Bowl’ of our sport and it’s an honour to have two athletes represent Bermuda at the very highest level,” he said.

Wilkinson said that Bermuda’s Chinese style kickboxers have gone the extra mile in preparation for the tournament, now in its seventh year.

“We have trained extremely hard for this event and have left no stone unturned,” he said. Wilkinson is confident that Bermuda’s representatives will make their presence felt in Jakarta.

“Our goal is to be extremely competitive in every match and hope that things go our way,” he said.

“To look back at where we started at our first World Championship in 2007 in China and see where we are seven years later is nothing short of amazing.”

The Woolridge cousins have both recently recovered from injuries.

“Jermal suffered a back injury two months ago prior to the Pan American Wushu Championships [in Costa Rica in August/September] but he has healed nicely and is excited to make his second appearance at the World Cup,” Wilkinson said.

“He secured an automatic qualifying spot with his second-place finish at last year’s twelfth World Wushu Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“Sentwali has trained through a wrist injury over the last two months but we have been nursing it and he has been receiving excellent physiotherapy treatment.

“Sentwali is the fittest he has ever been and ready to provide an upset on the world stage.”

Also accompanying the Woolridge cousins is Nolette Tucker, the team manager and wife of Janeiro Tucker, the Bermuda cricket captain.