18 January 2024 , 22:58
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Shawn Barber, a Canadian pole vault record holder and 2015 world champion, has tragically died aged 29 due to medical complications at his home in Texas.
His agent, Paul Doyle, sadly expressed: "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."
It is yet unknown what exactly led to Barber's sudden passing, but there were reports suggesting he had been struggling with health problems recently. The super-talented sportsman represented his country in various tournaments, world championships, and the Olympics, including Rio 2016.
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Born in New Mexico, Shawn spent much of his life split between the two countries - America and Canada, courtesy of his father's roots in Ontario. His remarkable pole vault record of 6 meters for Canada, set in Nevada in 2016, remains unbeaten. And this was just months after grabbing a world championship in Beijing with a finish of 5.9 meters.
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There has been an outpouring of tributes on socials for the brilliant athlete. One touching tribute came from Polish pole vaulter Piotr Lisek, who shared a podium with Barber at the 2015 World Championships.
Lisek said: "One of the best pole vaulters in the world, Shawn Barber, passed away today! We had the opportunity to host him on Polish soil many times, and he showed his heart many times with incredible cheerfulness. He was only 29 years old! 2015 World Champion, six-meter tall!"
Polish pole vault star Piotr Lisek (middle-right) has paid tribute to the Canadian who beat him to gold in 2015 (Getty)Back in 2020, Barber opened up about personal struggles. He shared: "I was dealing with some personal issues - injuries, family," and added, "There were a lot of personal factors playing roles in my career that I had to re-evaluate and I'm still in the process of managing those relationships."
He also spoke about enjoying the sport again, saying, "For the most part, I'm fairly healthy and it's good to be jumping. It's a lot of fun to have those early couple of meets. Something I'm looking forward to working on is just being able to show up and have fun at a meet without the sense of pressure."
In 2017, Barber came out as gay, proudly announcing: "Gay and proud!" He thanked his supportive family: "Thank you to my parents for being such a great support. I continue to grow as a person and have a great support group. My parents are my greatest support and have helped me through a lot recently. To my friends, you are always my friends and i love you too!"
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