Jacques Freitag

Jacques Freitag (June 11, 1982 – c. July 1, 2024) was a South African high jumper celebrated for his rare achievement of winning world titles at the youth, junior, and senior levels—a feat achieved by only a handful of elite athletes such as Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva WikipediaLuvMPJacques Freitag Foundation. Born in Warrenton and raised in Gauteng under the guidance of his mother, former high jump champion Hendrina Pieters, Freitag quickly rose to prominence by claiming gold at the 1999 World U18 Championships and again at the 2000 World U20 Championships Athletics AfricaLuvMP.

He reached the pinnacle of his career in 2003 when he captured the senior world championship in Paris with a leap of 2.35 m, becoming the first African man to win a world title in a field event World AthleticsAthletics Africa. Two years later, he improved South Africa’s high jump record to 2.38 m—an African and national record that still stands today World AthleticsThe South AfricanCape Town Today. Though he competed in the 2004 Olympics, he did not reach the finals, yet he continued competing until his retirement in 2013 Athletics AfricaThe South AfricanWikipedia.

Freitag’s post-athletic years were marked by struggle. Reports documented his long battle with drug addiction, periods of homelessness, and personal hardship that greatly impacted his life and relationships The Citizen+1IOL. Tragically, after disappearing in mid‑June 2024, his body was discovered near Zandfontein Cemetery in Pretoria West with multiple gunshot wounds, leading authorities to treat the case as a homicide WikipediaReutersPeople.comAthletics AfricaThe CitizenCape Town Today.

In sum, Jacques Freitag’s life was a powerful—and ultimately bittersweet—story: a brilliant athletic talent whose soaring heights in sport were shadowed by personal struggles off the field.