Police confirm Olympian Freitag’s body found in SA

South African police have confirmed to ESPN that the body of former Olympian and high jump world champion Jacques Freitag has been found, and that a murder case has been opened, after he went missing last month.

The initial local media reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot, having gone missing in mid-June.

Police said they found the body in a field near a cemetery in the city of Pretoria. The body had not yet been formally identified by family members, but on Thursday SA Police Service Brigadier Brenda Muridili told ESPN: “The family have identified the body as his.”

On Wednesday, Muridili told the media: “I can confirm that a missing person’s case in Hercules has been changed to a case of murder.

“No one has been arrested yet but the police are following up on leads.”

Freitag’s sister, Chrissie Lewis, had appealed for help on social media to find Freitag, who went missing in the predawn hours of June 17 after leaving his mother’s house. Lewis said he had struggled with drug addiction after his athletics career ended.

Athletics South Africa commission chairperson Hendrick Mokganyetsi, who said he had often travelled with Freitag to international events, paid tribute to Freitag and said per EWN: “On the fifth of March 2005, I remember he cleared 2.38 metres — that was a national record.

“He was a four-time SA champ in high jump. In 2000, he won gold at the world junior champs that were held in Santiago, Chile.

“[In 2003] he won the gold medal at the world champs in Paris with a jump of 2.35 metres. This victory made him the first South African to win a gold in high jump at the world champs.”

Freitag was among a select group of athletes to win world titles at youth, junior and senior level.

Associated Press contributed to this report.