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 championships at the youth, junior, and senior level 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) Pretoria West, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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
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Freitag grew up in Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng (50 km east of Pretoria). His mother, Hendrina Pieters, was South African high jump champion in 1973 with a personal best of 1.74 metres.
Freitag was found shot dead in July 2024, two weeks after going missing, at the age of 42.[1][2] His case is being considered a murder.[3]
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing | ||||
| 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 |
Awards
- 2003 University of Pretoria Sportsman of the year.[4]
Education
He was in Hoërskool Erasmus in Bronkhorstspruit, then he attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Afrikaans High School for Boys, also known as Affies), located in Pretoria.
See also
References
- ^ South Africa world champion Jacques Freitag missing MSN
- ^ "Ex-world high jump champion shot dead with body found dumped in field - The Mirror US". www.themirror.com. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Body of Former Olympian and High Jump World Champion Discovered in Field After Suspected Shooting". Peoplemag. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "2003 > University of Pretoria". Web.up.ac.za. 14 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
External links
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