Jacques Freitag, the world high jump champion in 2003, has passed away at the age of 42. The police are investigating his death as a murder after his body was found with multiple gunshot wounds.
Freitag was a remarkable athlete who achieved success at various levels. He won individual world titles at the U18, U20, and senior levels, a feat accomplished by only a few athletes. Born in Warrenton in 1982, Freitag grew up in Gauteng and was introduced to athletics at a young age due to his mother Hendrina’s national high jump championship.
His first major victory came in 1999 when he won gold at the World U18 Championships in Bydgoszcz shortly after turning 17. Freitag continued his success in 2000, winning 14 out of 15 competitions and taking gold at the World U20 Championships in Santiago de Chile. In 2001, he set an African U20 record of 2.31m and competed in the World Championships in Edmonton.
As a 19-year-old in early 2002, Freitag set an African record of 2.37m, and in 2003, he won gold at the World Championships in Paris with a jump of 2.35m. He became the first African man to win a world title in a field event. His compatriot Hestrie Cloete won the women’s event just six days later, creating a historic high jump double for South Africa.
Freitag made his Olympic debut in 2004 but did not advance to the final. In