World high jump champion found shot dead near South African cemetery

The body of South African high jump superstar Jacques Freitag was found this week riddled with bullets near a cemetery in his home country, ending a weeks-long saga following his disappearance on June 17.

The former world champion was found covered in blood on a patch of grass in Pretoria West, and police said they were treating the case as a murder. He was last seen leaving his mother's house with an unknown man, and was reported missing shortly afterwards.

According to The South African, a local English-language news site, local reports suggest that the star athlete may have been down on his luck and even struggling with drug addiction at the time of his disappearance.

Freitag has won world championships at youth, junior and senior levels, a rare feat in elite athletics matched by only 10 other track and field stars, including Usain Bolt.

Freitag's imposing 6-foot-4 frame made him a standout on and off the field. Shortly after his death, his sister, Chrissie Lewis, told the crowd that he was hard to miss given his height.

Freitag's disappearance, shrouded in mystery, has shocked South Africa. It began several weeks ago when Freitag was seen leaving his mother's house in Bronkhorstpruit, near Pretoria, with an unidentified man. The man claimed to have a job offer for Freitag, but he was never seen again. Lewis then launched a desperate search for his brother, whose body was discovered Tuesday near the Zandfontein cemetery in Pretoria West, with gunshot wounds.

Police have remained tight-lipped about potential suspects and motives for the attacks, leaving the public – and especially the tabloids – to speculate.

Some suggest that Freitag was involved in a clandestine affair gone wrong. Others point to a jealous rival or a long-standing grudge.

Freitag's career has been nothing but golden. He won the under-18 world title in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 1999, and under-20 world gold in Santiago, Chile, in 2000, before winning senior gold with a jump of 2.35 metres at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. His national record of 2.38 metres, set in 2005, still stands today.

Despite his professional success, Freitag's post-athletic life seemed to fall apart. Friends and family describe a man who struggled to find his place after retiring from competitive sport.

South African police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed the former athlete had been shot multiple times and the investigation was being treated as a murder.

No arrests have been made and police have appealed to the public for information.