Jacques Freitag, a 42-year-old South African high jump athlete and 2003 world gold medalist, was found dead with gunshot wounds near a cemetery in Pretoria. He 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 murder, but no arrests have been made as of yet.
Freitag had an illustrious athletic career, winning numerous titles including 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 with a leap of 2.35m, beating out competitors Stefan Holm of Sweden and Mark Boswell of Canada. His personal best jump was 2.38m in 2005.
The tragic death of Jacques Freitag has sent shockwaves throughout the athletics community, and his contributions to the sport will not be forgotten. The authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, and more information may come to light as the case progresses. Stay tuned for updates on this story and more in AW magazine.
