Former pole vault world champion Barber dies aged 29

DPA
·1 min read
Canada's Shawnacy Barber celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Men's Pole Vault Final at the 15th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletics World Championships. Barber has died aged 29 from "medical complications," the department of athletics of his former University of Akron in the US state of Ohio said on Thursday evening. picture alliance / dpa

Former pole vault world champion Shawn Barber has died aged 29 from "medical complications," the department of athletics of his former University of Akron in the US state of Ohio said on Thursday evening.

Barber died at home in Kingwood, Texas, on Wednesday and the cause of death was not yet known. He had fallen ill and had been experiencing poor health for some time.

Barber won the 2015 world title at the age of 21. At the world championships in Beijing, he struck gold with a winning vault of 5.90 metres, earning Canada’s first world championships medal in the pole vault.

Five months later, he increased his own national record of 6.00 metres, which at the time made him the youngest man ever to clear the six-metre barrier.

Pole vault governing body World Athletics said it was "deeply saddened" to hear the news of Barber's death.

High jumper Derek Drouin, who also won gold for Canada at the 2015 world championships, said: "I’m completely devastated to hear of the passing of my former teammate and all-round trailblazer for Canadian track and field."