Jacques Freitag
South African high jumper (1982–2024)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jacques Freitag (11 June 1982 – c. 1 July 2024) was a South African high jumper. Freitag is one of only eleven athletes (along with Valerie Adams, Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Armand Duplantis, Yelena Isinbayeva, Kirani James, Faith Kipyegon, Jana Pittman, Dani Samuels, and David Storl) to win World Championship titles at the youth, junior, and senior levels of an athletic event.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South African |
| Born | 11 June 1982 Warrenton, Cape Province, South Africa |
| Died | c. 1 July 2024 (aged 42) |
| Height | 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event | High jump |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | High jump: 2.39 (Paris 2003) |
Medal record | |
Early life and education
Freitag was born to police officers Hendrina Pieters and Jan Lewis. His parents divorced during childhood and his father later died by suicide.[1] His mother, Hendrina Pieters, was South African high jump champion in 1973 with a personal best of 1.74 metres. He has an older sister, Chrissie.[2] He was in Hoërskool Erasmus in Bronkhorstspruit, then he attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, located in Pretoria. He won the 2003 University of Pretoria Sportsman of the year.[3]
Later life and murder
Frietag went missing on June 17, 2024 and on July 1, his body was found with three gunshot wounds and a broken arm in a field in Pretoria. Rudolph Lubbe and Shantellè Oosthuizen were arrested on July 16 for suspected involvement in Freitag’s murder. Lubbe was accused of hiring Freitag to murder Oosthuizen’s fiancé, Louis Harmse. Harmse alleged Freitag attacked him with a brick on June 13. According to his sister, Freitag struggled with addiction and, at the time of his death, was divorced and had one estranged son.[1][2][4]
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  South Africa | ||||
| 1999 | World Youth Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 1st | 2.16 m |
| All-Africa Games | Johannesburg, South Africa | 4th | 2.20 m | |
| 2000 | World Junior Championships | Santiago, Chile | 1st | 2.24 m |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 23rd (q) | 2.15 m |
| 2003 | World Championships | Paris, France | 1st | 2.35 m |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 20th (q) | 2.20 m |
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 18th (q) | 2.20 m |
