The Tragic Death of South African High Jump Champion Jacques Freitag: A Remembrance and an Ongoing Investigation

Jacques Freitag, a 42-year-old South African high jump athlete and world gold medalist, was discovered dead near a cemetery in Pretoria with gunshot wounds. He had gone missing two weeks prior 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 yet.

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. He claimed global gold in the high jump event in 2003, 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 shocked the athletics community, and his contributions to the sport will not be forgotten. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, and more information may come to light as the case progresses. Subscribe to AW magazine for updates on this story and more.