Former South African Olympic athlete Jacques Freitag was discovered dead just two weeks after he was reported missing.
According to The Mirror, the 42-year-old high jumper was discovered in a field beside the Zandfontein Cemetery in Pretoria West with multiple bullet wounds. In mid-June, he was reported missing after visiting his mother in Bronkhorstpruit, near Pretoria, six days after his birthday.
Sources told the media outlet that Jacques Freitag had been struggling with recreational drugs when he went missing. On the night he went missing, a mystery man, who claimed to be his co-worker, picked him up at his mother’s home. That was the last time he was seen alive.
Jacques Freitag’s sister, Chrissie Lewis, had been leading the search for the missing former athlete. Police spokesman Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed the former high jumper was shot multiple times. His death is being treated as a homicide.
Jacque Freitag was notably a four-time South African high jump champion. He won the gold in the World Jump Champions in 1999 and 2000. He went on to win the gold medal at the World Championships in 2003. Freitag competed in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and placed 20th.
Freitag held the nation’s record for clearing 2.38m, which he achieved in 2005. He placed 18th in the 2005 World Champions.
Jacque Freitag retired from the sport in 2013. It was reported that since his retirement, he had been living on the street or sofa surfacing due to being unable to hold a full-time job
Jacque Freitag Once Admitted to Being a Bad Loser and Hated Losing
During a 2003 interview with The World Athletics, Jacque Freitag expressed his dedication to winning in his sport.
“I’m a bad loser, I hate losing,” he explained at the time. “I want to all out and jump 2.40m which I KNOW I can do if I stay injury-free.”
He further explained his ambitious Olympic dreams. “I want to do three Olympics – I’ve got 10 years to be all that can be,” he said. He also planned to “stick around” and stay a part of the sport. “I think I’ll hang a round and put a little back.”
When asked who was his key competitor in the 2004 Olympic Games, he had someone in mind, Swedish athlete Stefan Holm. “Stefan Holm is consistent,” Freitag explained. “And [canadian athlete] Mark Boswell can come out and jump really competitively.”
Holm ended up winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics. Boswell also participated in the Games that year and placed 7th.