Former high jump world champion Freitag found dead after being shot, South African police report

The body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag has been discovered by South African police after he went missing last month. Reports indicate that the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. His family chose not to comment on the matter. The police found the body in a field near a cemetery in the city of Pretoria, but it had not yet been formally identified by family members.

Freitag’s sister, Chrissie Lewis, had taken to social media to appeal for help in finding her brother, who disappeared in the early hours of June 17 after leaving his mother’s house. Lewis mentioned that Freitag had struggled with drug addiction following the end of his athletics career. Despite his challenges, Freitag was part of a small group of athletes who had won world titles at the youth, junior, and senior levels.

The news of Freitag’s tragic death has shocked the sports community in South Africa and beyond. Fans and colleagues are mourning the loss of a talented athlete who achieved great success in his career. The circumstances surrounding his death are still under investigation by the authorities, but the impact of his passing is already being felt by those who knew and loved him.