South Africa’s former world champion high jumper Jacques Freitag has been found dead after going missing for a few weeks South Africa’s former world champion high jumper Jacques Freitag has been found dead after going missing for a few weeks. Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP
South Africa’s former world champion high jumper Jacques Freitag has been found dead after going missing.
The 42-year-old Freitag had been missing for a few weeks, and his sister Chrissie Lewis spoke to the media last week to appeal for assistance as the search continued.
According to Netwerk24, Freitag’s body was discovered in a veld Pretoria West on Monday afternoon. He had been shot. He had earlier been picked up in the middle of the night by a man at his mother’s house in Bronkhorstspruit and was never seen alive again.
Rapport reported that Freitag had fallen on hard times after retiring from athletics, and struggled with drug use.
“We weren’t close at all over the last few years because of the drugs,” Freitag’s sister Lewis was quoted by the Afrikaans newspaper.
“I am a single mother and have had to look after my kids and protect them. He has been on drugs for most of the time.”
Over a decade ago, the former athlete spent three days behind bars after being found in possession of drugs. And in 2007, he found himself in trouble with the law after a road rage incident.
Freitag had a promising athletics career, and is currently one of only ten athletes to win world championships at the youth, junior, and senior level. He was also a member of Team SA at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
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