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Missing: Former high jump star Jacques Freitag cannot be found
Freitag was last seen in Pretoria on 12 June.
Jacques Freitag celebrating his victory at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. Picture: Gabriel Bouys/AFP
Former world high jump champion Jacques Freitag has gone missing, according to his sister.
His sibling, Chrissie Lewis, made a call in a social media post for people to assist in finding him.
He has not been seen since 12 June, the day after his 42nd birthday.
“With sadness to say. We have to report that my brother Jacques Freitag is missing,” Lewis said.
“Last seen alive 12 June. He has been dropped off in a bush in Booysens, Pretoria West.”
In the Facebook post, Lewis included her phone number for info to be shared about his whereabouts.
High jumping legend
Freitag was a phenomenal athlete. He won the world youth high jump title in 1999 and the following year he secured the global junior crown.
In 2003 he stepped up at senior level to win gold at the World Championships in Paris.
He cleared the bar at 2.38 metres in Oudtshoorn in March 2005, which remains the African record in his specialist event.
Since he retired from competition in 2013, reports have emerged that Freitag has struggled with recreational drug addiction and at times allegedly found himself living on the streets in Pretoria.
