World high jump champion found shot near South African cemetery

The bullet-riddled body of South African high jump superstar Jacques Freitag was found this week near a cemetery in his home country, bringing to an end a weeks-long saga following his disappearance on June 17.

The former world champion was found covered in blood on a patch of grass in Pretoria West. The police suspect murder. He was last seen leaving his mother’s house with an unknown man. He was reported missing shortly afterwards.

According to local English-language news site The South African, local reports suggested that the star athlete may have been unlucky at the time of his disappearance and may even have been battling drug addiction.

Freitag won world championships at youth, junior and senior levels, a rare feat in elite athletics achieved by only ten other track and field stars – including Usain Bolt.

Friday’s towering 6’8″ frame made him a standout player on and off the field. Shortly after his disappearance, his sister Chrissie Lewis told the public that his size would make him hard to miss.

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Freitag’s mysterious disappearance has gripped South Africa. It began several weeks ago when Freitag was seen leaving his mother’s house in Bronkhorstpruit, near Pretoria, with an unknown man. The man claimed to have offered Freitag a job opportunity, but was never seen alive again. Lewis then launched a desperate search for her brother, whose body was discovered with gunshot wounds near Zandfontein Cemetery in Pretoria West on Tuesday.

The police remain silent about possible suspects or motives, so the public – and especially the tabloid press – can only speculate.

Some say Friday was involved in a secret deal that went wrong. Others suggest a jealous rival or a long-standing grudge.

Freitag’s career, however, was nothing short of golden. He won the U18 World Championship title in 1999 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and the U20 gold medal in Santiago de Chile in 2000, before winning gold in the senior category at the 2003 World Championships in Paris with a jump of 2.35 metres. His national record of 2.38 metres, which he set in 2005, still stands today.

Despite his professional success, Freitag’s life seemed to fall apart after his sporting career. Friends and family describe a man who struggled to find his feet again after retiring from competitive sport.

South African police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that the former athlete had been shot multiple times and that the investigation was being treated as a murder case.

No arrests were made and police are asking the public for information.