Tragic End for High Jump Champion Jacques Freitag

South African former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag was found dead with gunshot wounds after being missing for two weeks. Found near a cemetery in Pretoria West, police are treating it as a murder case. Freitag, notable for his gold win in the 2003 World Championships, was last seen on June 17.

South African former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag has been found dead with gunshot wounds having been missing for two weeks, South African media reported on Tuesday. According to Netwerk24, Freitag, 42, was found in the grass near a cemetery in Pretoria West, South Africa, and police are treating the case as murder.

He was reported missing after he was last seen leaving his mother's house with an unknown man late on June 17. Freitag won world championships at youth, junior, and senior levels. He took gold in the high jump at the 2003 World Championships in Paris.

He jumped a personal best 2.38 metres in 2005.