ATHLETICS
‘Shawn’ Barber, pole vault world champion, dies at 29
The Canadian was world champion in 2015, 10th in the Rio Games and his personal best of 6.00 m is still Canada’s national record.
Tragic news in athletics. Shawnacy Campbell ‘Shawn’ Barber (Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States, May 27, 1994) has died at the age of 29. The news of the death canadian pole vaulter (with double American nationality), was reported on Instagram by his representation agency (Doyle Management). This was later confirmed by Associated Press, reporting “health problems and medical complications.”
Barber, three-time NCAA champion, became world champion at the age of 21 in Beijing 2015 with a jump of 5.90m, and also won gold that year in the Pan American Games. A year later, after jumping 6.00 in January, he finished tenth in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. That participation had been doubt after he tested positive for cocaine, however he was exonerated when it was proven that he consumed involuntarily, when kissing a woman.
In 2016 he also won the World Indoor Tour. After finishing eighth in the 2018 World Cup in Berlin, his career began to decline.
He still holds the Canadian national outdoor record of 5.93 metres and indoor record of 6.00 metres.
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