The body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag has been discovered in a field near a cemetery in Pretoria, South Africa. According to local police, a missing person’s case has been changed to a murder case after he disappeared on June 17.
On Thursday, SA Police Service Brigadier Brenda Muridili informed ESPN that the family had identified the body as Freitag’s. The 42-year-old athlete had won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics. Although it had not been formally identified by family members, authorities confirmed that they believe it is Freitag.
Freitag’s sister, Chrissie Lewis, had reached out on social media for help in finding him, revealing his struggles with drug addiction following the end of his athletic career. The commission chairperson of Athletics South Africa’s, Hendrick Mokganyetsi, remembered Freitag’s accomplishments fondly and highlighted his national record of 2.38 meters in high jump and his victories at various levels of competition.
