Shawn Barber passed away.
Shawn Barber celebrated the pole vault gold in 2015 in China. EPA / AOP
Pole vaulting world champion Shawn Barber has died, reported the news, among other things TSN and CBC.
Barber died at just 29 years old. He died Wednesday at his home in Kingwood, Texas. The exact cause of death is still in the dark for now, but Barber had suffered from health problems and was in the grip of an illness.
In his career, Barber won the pole vault world championship in 2015. He won his World Championship gold medal with a score of 590 in Beijing, China.
He holds the Canadian pole vault record. He jumped six meters in January 2016.
Barber also celebrated five Canadian championships in his career. He competed at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in 2016. Barber won silver and bronze at the Commonwealth Games. He was missed by his mother, father and brother. Barber’s father George Barber is a former pole vaulter.
Shawn Barber was one of Canada’s elite athletes. PDO