Shawn Barber, the Canadian-American pole vaulter who stunned the world with his gold medal performance at the 2015 world championships in Beijing, has passed away at the age of 29. His agent, Paul Doyle, confirmed that Barber died on Wednesday at his home in Texas from medical complications. The cause of death was not disclosed, but Barber had been suffering from some health issues, according to Doyle.
In an Instagram post from his management page, Doyle described Barber as “a friend that will never be forgotten,” before adding, “He will be greatly missed.”
“Gone way too soon,” said North Macedonia long jumper Andreas Trajkovski on another Instagram post. “So sad. This was a tough one to post.”
Barber, who was born in New Mexico but held dual citizenship in Canada, as his father was a Canadian native and a former pole vaulter himself, was a prodigy in the sport. He started vaulting at the age of four, following in the footsteps of his father, George, who competed at the 1983 world championships in Helsinki. Barber attended the University of Akron, where he dominated the collegiate scene, winning three NCAA titles and setting the Canadian record of 6.00m in 2016.
But his crowning achievement came in 2015, when he shocked the world by winning the gold medal at the world championships in Beijing, beating a field that included the reigning champion Raphael Holzdeppe of Germany and the then world record holder Renaud Lavillenie of France. Barber cleared 5.90m on his first attempt, while his rivals failed to match him. He became the first Canadian to win a world title in the pole vault, and the youngest ever at 21 years old.
Barber also represented Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he finished 10th, and the 2017 world championships in London, where he placed eighth. He won five Canadian national titles and the 2015 Pan American Games gold medal. He was widely regarded as one of the best pole vaulters of his generation, and a potential medal contender for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Barber’s death has sent shockwaves across the athletics world, as tributes poured in from his fellow competitors, coaches, and fans. Athletics Canada, the governing body of the sport in the country, expressed its condolences and praised Barber as “more than just an incredible athlete”.
Piotr Lisek, the Polish pole vaulter who won silver at the 2017 world championships, called Barber “one of the best pole vaulters in the world” and “a friend that will never be forgotten”. Barber’s former coach at Akron, Dennis Mitchell, said he was “devastated” by the news and remembered Barber as “a great person and a great athlete”
