Athletics-Former high jump world champion Freitag found dead in South Africa

FILE PHOTO: Jacques Freitag of South Africa celebrates clearing the bar in the high jump final at the 9th World Athletics Championships in the Stade de France at Saint-Denis near Paris August 25, 2003. Freitag won gold with a jump of 2.35 metres. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn KM/File Photo

(Reuters) - South African former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag has been found dead with gunshot wounds having been missing for two weeks, South African media reported on Tuesday.

According to Netwerk24, Freitag, 42, was found in the grass near a cemetery in Pretoria West, South Africa, and police are treating the case as murder.

He was reported missing after he was last seen leaving his mother's house with an unknown man late on June 17.

Freitag won world championships at youth, junior, and senior levels. He took gold in the high jump at the 2003 World Championships in Paris.

He jumped a personal best 2.38 metres in 2005.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis)