Tragic Loss: South Africa Mourns the Death of Olympic High Jumper Jacques Freitag

South Africa has lost one of its greatest athletes, Jacques Freitag, who was discovered dead near a cemetery in Pretoria with gunshot wounds. He was 42 years old and had been missing for two weeks prior to his death. The police are treating the case as a murder, but no arrests have been made yet.

Jacques Freitag had an illustrious athletic career, winning numerous titles at the world and under-18 levels. In 1999, he claimed the world under-18 title in high jump, and in 2000, he won the world under-20 gold medal in the same event. He achieved global fame in 2003 when he won the world high jump gold medal with a leap of 2.35m, beating out competitors from Sweden and Canada. His personal best jump was even better, measuring at 2.38m in 2005.

The tragic death of Jacques Freitag has left the athletics community stunned, 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. Subscribe to AW magazine for updates on this story and more.