Pole Vault World Champion Shawn Barber has died at the age of 29.
On Thursday, Akron Track & Field announced the news of Barber’s passing in a statement. He was a student-athlete at the University of Akron.
“The University of Akron Department of Athletics is saddened to announce that World Champion, Olympian, and three-time NCAA Champion Shawn Barber passed away at his home in KIngswood, Texas, from medical complications on Wednesday, Jan. 17,” the statement reads.
The statement also revealed that Barber “had fallen ill and had been experiencing poor health for some time.”
Barber’s management, Doyle Management, confirmed the news of his death on Instagram.
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“A friend that will never be forgotten. Canadian Olympic Pole Vaulter Shawn Barber has passed away,” Doyle Management wrote in a post.
The post continued, “He is currently the Canadian record holder with his personal best of 6.00m and was the 2015 World Champion in the Pole Vault. Shawn was also an Olympic finalist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. He will be greatly missed.”
His official cause of death has not been revealed.
In a statement to the Associated Press on Thursday, Barber’s agent, Paul Doyle, remembered the 2015 IAAF World champion as “more than just an incredible athlete.”
“Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself,” Doyle shared. “It’s tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age.”
According to Akron Track & Field, Barber was the first male national champion “capturing the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championship” in the school’s history. He also had a Canadian overall record of 18-10.25, beating out 2013 NCAA future Olympian and Outdoor Champ Sam Kendricks of Ole Miss.
Additionally, he earned a gold medal for “strength of a winning jump of 19-0.25 (5.80m)” at the 2015 Pan American Games.
