By Canadian Press

Canadian record holder, world champion pole vaulter Shawn Barber dead at 29

Jan 18, 2024 | 1:49 PM

Former Canadian world champion pole vaulter Shawn Barber has died. He was 29 years old.

Barber died Wednesday night, his agent Paul Doyle told The Canadian Press.

The specific cause of death was not disclosed, but Barber had been dealing with an ongoing illness.

Barber was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico but his father, George, was born in Ontario. The family split time between the U.S. and Canada.

He is the Canadian record holder in the men’s pole vault at 6.00 metres, which he set in January 2016. Barber won the 2015 world championships in Beijing, China, with a mark of 5.90.

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He also won the NCAA outdoor title in 2015 for the University of Akron, earning the second of back-to-back indoor titles that season. Barber won one of his five Canadian titles that year as well.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press