South African high jump gold medallist Jacques Freitag was found dead near a cemetery in Pretoria with gunshot wounds. The 42-year-old athlete had been missing for two weeks and was last seen leaving his mother’s house with an unknown man in the early hours of June 17. The police are treating the case as a murder, but no arrests have been made as of yet.
Jacques Freitag’s athletic career was marked by success, including winning the world under-18 title in 1999 and the world under-20 gold in 2000. In 2003, he claimed global gold in the high jump event, beating out competitors Stefan Holm of Sweden and Mark Boswell of Canada with a leap of 2.35m. His personal best jump was 2.38m in 2005.
The tragic death of Jacques Freitag has shocked the athletics community, and his contributions to the sport will not be forgotten. As authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, more information may come to light as the case progresses. Subscribe to AW magazine for updates on this story and more.