Medical issues have claimed the life of Canadian pole vault record holder and 2015 world champion Shawn Barber. His age was 29.
Barber’s agent, Paul Doyle, confirmed to The Associated Press that Barber passed away on Wednesday at his Kingwood, Texas, home. It wasn’t yet known what caused the death. Barber had been dealing with health problems.
Doyle remarked on Thursday, “Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others before himself. He was more than just an incredible athlete.” “Losing such a nice person at such a young age is tragic.”
At the University of Akron, Barber excelled in pole vaulting and won back-to-back NCAA indoor titles in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, he also won the NCAA outdoor title. Later that summer, he earned gold at the Pan-Am Games. Barber brought a surge of energy to the Beijing worlds that season. He defeated Raphael Marcel Holzdeppe of Germany and won gold.
A year later, Barber advanced to the final of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics’ pole vault competition, which Brazilian Thiago Braz won. Barber’s highest vault, achieved on January 15, 2016, in Reno, Nevada, measured six meters (19 feet, 8 ¼ inches). His score is still the record for Canada. His brother David, father George, and mother Ann all survive him.
Pole Vaulter Holds the Canadian Record
The highest vault accomplished by Shawn Barber was six meters (19 feet, 8 inches) on January 15, 2016, in Reno, Nevada. His score continues to be the Canadian record.
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Dual-citizen of Canada and the United States, Barber claimed silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, following a bronze medal in Glasgow in 2014. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Barber secured the tenth position with a clearance of 5.50 meters.
In a statement delivered upon the athlete’s demise being announced, Shawn’s agent expressed condolences. Paul Doyle remarked, “Shawn was an exceptionally kind individual who perpetually prioritized the well-being of others over his own heroics.” “Being that young to lose such a good person is tragic.”
Online Tributes are Flooding For Shawn Barber
Shawn’s admirers are expressing their condolences via social media. Someone wrote in Polish, “One of the greatest pole vaulters in the world, Shawn Barber, passed away today.” “We had the privilege of having him visit Poland on numerous occasions, and each time he expressed his deepest emotions with extraordinary joy.
“He was a mere 29 years of age!”
“2015 World Champion, six-meters tall!”
The Awards for Shawn Barber
Shawn Barber took home two Commonwealth medals: a bronze in Glasgow (2016) and a silver in Gold Coast (2018). In 2015, he won the Pawn American championship, according to Athletics Weekly.
In addition, Barber participated in three World Championships, held in Beijing (2015), London (2017), and Moscow (2013). He set the Canadian men’s pole vault record in January 2016 with a height of six meters.
Barber won the 2015 global championships in Beijing, China, with a score of 5.90. He competed for the University of Akron and won the second of his two consecutive back-to-back NCAA outdoor titles in 2015. Barber also won one of his five Canadian titles in that same year.