The former world pole vault champion died on Thursday at the age of 29.
Shawn Barber, a three-time NCAA champion with the University of Akron in Ohio, died “due to medical complications,” the school's athletics department said in a news release Thursday.
The specific cause of the athlete's death was not revealed, but the university said he “had fallen ill and had been suffering from ill health for some time.”
The statement described Barber, who became the Zips' first individual national champion in 2014, as a “beloved teammate and competitor.”
His agent, Paul Doyle, confirmed that he died at his home in Kingwood, Texas, according to the Associated Press.
“More than just a great athlete, Sean was a kind-hearted person who always put others before himself,” Doyle told the AP.
Canadian world pole vault champion Sean Barber dies at the age of 29 due to medical complications https://t.co/ybjAUIO7qt
– Associated Press (@AP) January 19, 2024
“It is tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age,” he said.
Doyle's management posted about the loss on Instagram, calling Barber a “friend who will never be forgotten.”
“We will miss him so much,” she said.
Barber, who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Canada, set an NCAA championship record with a vault of 19-4.75 at the 2015 Indoor Championships, surpassing the mark of 19-2.25 set by Jacob Davis of the University of Texas in 1999, according to an Arkon University press release.
He won a gold medal from the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and represented Canada at the 2016 Olympics, where he finished 10th.
Barber's best vault was 19-8¼ on January 15, 2016, which remains the Canadian record.
His last competition was in January 2020 in Germany.
Barber is survived by his mother, Anne; His father, George. The news release stated that his brother, David.
This article originally appeared in The Western Journal.
