Canadian world champion pole vaulter Shawn Barber dead at 29 from medical complications

Shawn Barber, the Canadian pole vault record holder and 2015 world champion, has died from medical complications. He was 29.

Barber died Wednesday at home in Kingwood, Texas, his agent, Paul Doyle, confirmed to The Associated Press. A cause of death was not yet known. Barber had been experiencing health issues.

"More than just an incredible athlete, Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself," Doyle said Thursday. "It's tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age."

Canadian women's pole vaulter Alysha Newman shared several photos and a lengthy caption in an Instagram post.

"I wish I could say heaven received another angel but if I'm being honest it was way too soon," she wrote. "Shawn, my teammate, my dear friend and confidant. I'm honoured to have been in the same walk of life as you."

A number of fans posted their condolences across social media, expressing their sadness and recounting the memories Barber left them with from his college and early pro years.

"Our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Shawn Barber, Canadian Pole Vaulter — 2015 World Champion, Rio 2016 Olympian and Canadian Record Holder," Athletics Canada posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Barber was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, but held dual Canadian-American citizenship as his father, George, was born in Kincardine, Ont. The family split time between the U.S. and Canada, specifically Toronto.

That came just a month after claiming the third of his five Canadian titles and Pan American Games gold in Toronto.

Piotr Lisek, who won bronze at the 2015 worlds, called Barber one of the best pole vaulters in the world in a post on X in Polish and posted pictures of them together on the podium.

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.

Akron's athletics department called Barber "a well-liked teammate and competitor,"

A year later, Barber made the final at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in a pole vault event won by Thiago Braz of Brazil, finishing 10th.

His resumé also includes bronze and silver medals from the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, respectively.