Shawn Barber dead: Olympic pole vaulter dies aged just 29 after suffering ‘medical complications’ as tributes pour in
SHAWN Barber, the Canadian world champion pole vaulter has died at 29 from “medical complications”.
The young athlete died Wednesday at home in Kingswood, Texas, his agent Paul Doyle confirmed to The Associated Press.
A cause of death was not yet known but Shawn had been experiencing health issues.
“More than just an incredible athlete, Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself,” Doyle said Thursday.
“It’s tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age.”
He is survived by his mother, Ann; father, George; and brother, David.
Shawn was a successful pole vaulter at the University of Akron, where he won consecutive NCAA indoor titles in 2014 and 2015.
The Canadian also won the NCAA outdoor championship in 2015, followed by gold in the Pan-American Games later that summer.
Shawn rode a wave of momentuminto the world championships that season in Beijing, where he won gold over Germany‘s Raphael Marcel Holzdeppe.
A year later, he reached the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics’ pole vault event, which was won by Brazil‘s Thiago Braz.
Shawn’s best vault was six metres (19 feet, 8 ¼ inches) on January 15, 2016, in Reno, Nevada.
His mark remains the Canadian record.
