Team Bermuda returned this week from the WAKO World Kickboxing Championships in Villach, Austria.

The team consisted of competitors Darren Lee and Raymond Sillar and coaches Roots Gladwin Phillips, vice-president BKO and Skipper Ingham, president. Despite months of hard training and dedication, both Darren Lee and Raymond Sillar were defeated by tough competition in the K1 rules division.

In Lee's match he suffered a loss by knockout via a well placed knee to the ribs by the Brazilian National Champion, Washington Luiz Dos Santos Jr. Ray Sillar squared off against the European Pro Champion, Marco Santi of Italy and in a series of exchanges by both fighters, Ray eventually succumbed to the Italian's strength and lost by TKO via a series of knees.

K1 rules allow you to grab your opponent and clinch and knee to all areas of the leg, torso and head.

In both matches it was clear that this technique in combination with the size and strength of the competition was a factor as both Lee and Sillar were physically overpowered.

Sillar said that both competitors should have perhaps fought one weight class lower.

"We learned many things during the tournament and having an opportunity to compete against World Class competition gives Bermuda a measuring stick by which we can compare ourselves," said Sillar.

"As a country that has now competed on the world stage in kickboxing, we can learn from this tournament, assess the gaps and evaluate our training methods and approach to better prepare us for the future."