FORMER national judo heavyweight silver medallist ‘Big’ John Yong passed away on Friday night at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) after a prolonged illness.

The 47-year-old veteran member of the Rising Sun Judo Club was imposing and fierce on the mat in the heavyweight and open divisions.

Yong, who also practised karate and taekwondo, represented Guyana in 2003 at the Inter-Guiana Judo tournament in Suriname before capturing a silver medal in the heavyweight division of the 2004 national championships.

President of the Rising Sun Judo/Jiu-Jitsu Club, Bruce Fraser, said that the judo fraternity has suffered a major loss with Yong’s passing.

“He was a really decent chap, very intense competitor, very, very strong and would make up for his shortcomings by working hard on the stuff he could do .., he had some memorable rivalries with some of the best judokas locally, including myself.”

Yong is survived by two daughters Norissa and Celina and both of them have followed in their father’s footsteps in the sport. Norrisa, who is the elder, won an Inter-Guiana medal in 2014 in Suriname.