Pole vault champion, Shawn Barber dies at age 29 – 01/19/2024 – Sport
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Shawn Barber, Canadian record holder and 2015 world pole vault champion, has died at age 29.
Barber’s agent, Paul Doyle, confirmed to Reuters that he died on Wednesday at home in Kirkwood, Texas, from medical complications.
“In addition to being an incredible athlete, Shawn was a kind-hearted person who always put others before himself,” Doyle said Thursday. “It’s tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age.”
Barber won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games, and a few weeks later, the then 21-year-old stunned – in a tournament that included silver medalist Raphael Holzdeppe of Germany and favorite Renaud Lavillenie, who won bronze ,– upon winning the world title in Beijing.
Barber’s best jump of 6 meters, set on January 15, 2016, is still the Canadian record. He also competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Barber began competing in the pole vault at age seven, breaking the American high school record before winning back-to-back NCAA indoor titles at the University of Akron in 2014 and 2015 and then the NCAA outdoor title in 2015.
The jumper had dual citizenship as his father George, his coach for most of his life, was born in Kincardine, northwest of Toronto. When he was first named to a Canadian team, he said he chose to compete for Canada to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Barber is survived by his father, mother Ann and brother David.
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