Cunningham nervous ahead of showdown

SHECKEMA CUNNINGHAM, the 26-year-old captain of Jamaica's female combined martial arts team, admitted she is a bundle of nerves ahead of tomorrow's showdown with the Philippines national team in Manila.

"I am going out first and, of course, I am always nervous until the fight starts," said Cunningham on Wednesday before the team left for Manila where the male combined team will also be in action, but facing a select Pacific-Asia team which includes world champion Carl van Roon of New Zealand.

Cunningham leads an unbeaten Jamaican female team aiming to notch a fourth straight victory after beating Trinidad and Tobago, the United States and Vietnam.

"I have faith in my girls, as always, and they have faith in me," she said.

Cunningham, who won a bronze medal in sparring at this year's International Taekwondo Federation World Championships in Wellington, New Zealand, is anxious to chisel her name into local martial arts history.

Family affair

The mother of one has been practising martial arts from 11 years old and is a senior instructor at Future Leaders Karate, and has won every match in which she has competed for the combined team.

Along with Seido Jamaica's Betty Salmon, who has the won the Seido world title on a number of occasions, Cunningham is one of Jamaica's most decorated female martial artists.

Her match in the Philippines will be a true test of her mettle as she will be first on the mat against one of the best microweight fighter-producing countries in the world.

One of her goals is to see the female combined martial arts team establish a win streak to rival that of their male counterpart, which has gone 43 matches without defeat.

She believes with the expertise of the male team's captain, Jason McKay, being coach of the female unit, it's only a matter of time before the women are as internationally revered.

"We would want to be as victorious as the male but they started out long before us. Catching up with them will be tough because they are so good. I don't see a team to beat them but that is definitely our aim," she said.