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Hero's welcome for Freitag
04/09/2003 18:43 - (SA)
Johannesburg - World high jump champion Jacques Freitag arrived home on Thursday to a hero's welcome and spoke of the sudden change in his life since winning the gold medal at the IAAF world athletics championships in Paris last month.
"It's amazing how life can change so drastically in one night," Freitag reflected after being met at Johannesburg International airport by his girlfriend Carike Pieters, a large contingent of members from his Rentmeester Tukkies club and family members that included his mother Hendrien and sister Chrissie Boag.
It was a night when Freitag cleared 2.35m to become the first athlete in history to have claimed titles at the World Youth, World Junior and World Senior championships. Australia's Yanah Pittman became the second to do so, also in Paris, in the women's 400m hurdles.
"It took a while to sink in, the fact that I was the world champion, because at first it felt like I'd just won another event at another meeting. It felt special, but I didn't realize how big my accomplishment was until I stepped out the following morning," said the 21-year-old.
Because he was one of the first gold medal winners of the championships, Parisians flocked for the autograph of the "tall South African with the golden socks."
"I got those golden knee-length soccer socks from the Bafana Bafana soccer team, so I decided to wear them to show I was extra proud to be a South African," said Freitag. "And it became a mark of my identity there. Even if I went out into the country, the people recognised me from the TV coverage and crowded me for autographs.
'Loved the experience'
"Eventually I couldn't go out into the streets, or even to the stadium. But that's just the way it was - I didn't let it go to my head or anything.
"But I loved the experience. It was really such a special feeling. I know I got the glory from the gold medal, but I must stress that I've had a big team behind me who have helped me overcome many difficult times - especially the recovery from my tendon operation - and they helped to see me through. I must thank them from the bottom of my heart.
"At the end of the day, it was so special to feel that I was in the right place at the right time.
"With God's blessing, I hope to be in the same winning form for the gold medal at the Athens Olympics next year."
Freitag was due to have his photograph taken with the Springbok rugby squad on Thursday afternoon at the University of Pretoria's High Performance Centre.
"That sports facility is a training paradise," said Freitag. "It's got everything an athlete needs - the weather, the gym, the facilities and especially the grass track which is easy on the body for training."
Freitag did not disappoint the spectators at the second annual International Athletics meeting of the Province of Liege on Tuesday when he won his event with a useful 2.30m in his first outing after the World Championships.
The 21-year-old Pretoria athlete recorded an easy victory over rivals Andrey Chubsa of Belarus, Germaine Mason of Jamaica and Matt Hemingway of the US.
He will return to Europe next week to compete in the final IAAF meeting of the season in Monaco.
"Then I'll compete in the African Games in Nigeria," he said. "I was offered a million dollars worth of black pearls to compete in Tahiti instead, but I don't think that will go down very well. It's my duty to support my country in Africa."
- SAPA
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