29-Year-Old Canadian Pole Vaulting World Champion Shawn Barber Passes Away

Shawn Barber, the Canadian pole vault record holder and 2015 world champion, has passed away at the age of 29.

Barber died on Wednesday at his home in Kingwood, Texas. His death was confirmed by his agent, Paul Doyle, who also stated that the cause of death was not yet known and that Barber had been experiencing health issues.

Doyle expressed his grief for the loss, saying, “More than just an incredible athlete, Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself. It’s tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age.”

Barber was a standout pole vaulter at the University of Akron, where he captured back-to-back NCAA indoor championships in 2014 and 2015. He also won the NCAA outdoor crown in 2015, before taking gold later that summer at the Pan-Am Games. Barber carried a wave of momentum into worlds that season in Beijing, where he took gold over Germany’s Raphael Marcel Holzdeppe.

A year later, Barber made the final at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in a pole vault event won by Thiago Braz of Brazil.

Barber’s best vault was six meters (19 feet, 8 ¼ inches) on Jan. 15, 2016, in Reno, Nevada, which remains the Canadian record.

He is survived by his mother, Ann; father, George; and brother, David.