Shawn Barber, the Canadian pole vault record holder and 2015 world champion, has died due to medical complications. He was 29.
Barber died Wednesday at home in Kingwood, Texas, his agent Paul Doyle confirmed to CBS News. A cause of death was not yet known. Barber had health problems.
“Shawn was more than just an incredible athlete, he was such a kind-hearted person who always put others before himself,” Doyle said Thursday. “It is tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age.”
“I can also say that since the news was announced, I have heard from people from all over the world who have expressed their condolences and shared fond memories of Shawn,” Doyle added. “He was a great guy and will be greatly missed by many people around the world.”
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Barber was a standout pole vaulter at the University of Akron, where he won back-to-back NCAA indoor championships in 2014 and 2015. He also won the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2015 before taking gold at the Pan-Am Games later that summer. Barber brought a wave of momentum to the world championships in Beijing this season. He won gold ahead of the German Raphael Marcel Holzdeppe.
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A year later, Barber reached the final at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in the pole vault, which was won by Brazilian Thiago Braz.
Barber's best jump was six meters (19 feet, 8 ¼ inches) on January 15, 2016 in Reno, Nevada. His mark remains the Canadian record.
He is survived by his mother, Ann; father, George; and brother David.
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