Five-time Canadian champion, who won World title and Pan American Games gold medal in 2015 and made Olympic final in 2016, died in Texas as a result of medical complications

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by John Nepolitan

Shawn Barber, the 2015 World champion in the men’s pole vault representing Canada, passed away Wednesday at age 29 in Kingwood, Texas, as a result of medical complications.

Paul Doyle, Barber’s agent, told the Associated Press that Barber had recently been experiencing health issues, but the cause of death is currently unknown.

Barber is the Canadian record holder at 19 feet, 8.25 inches (6.00m), clearing the height for the first time indoors in January 2016 at the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev. He went on to place 10th at the Olympic final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with an 18-0.50 (5.50m) effort that summer.

Barber, the first Under-23 competitor to achieve a 6-meter clearance in the world, is one of 28 male pole vaulters in history to produce a 6-meter performance. He also boasts an outdoor personal-best 19-5.50 (5.93m) from July 2015 in London.

Barber, who was born in 1994 in New Mexico but represented his father George’s native Canada internationally, captured the World title in 2015 in Beijing, China, with a 19-4.25 (5.90m) clearance. He remains the only Canadian pole vaulter, regardless of gender, to win an Olympic or World Championships gold medal.

Barber also captured the Pan American Games gold medal in 2015 by clearing 19-0.25 (5.80m) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in addition to earning a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in 2014 in Scotland and a silver medal in 2018 in Australia.

During his collegiate career at Akron, Barber secured back-to-back NCAA Division 1 indoor titles in 2014 and 2015. He was also a five-time Canadian national champion.

In addition to his father George, Barber is also survived by his mother Ann and brother David.