V 14 N. 5 Shawn Barber Former World Pole Vault Champion Dies at Age 29 R.I.P.

 January 18, 2024

                                    

Shawn Barber, born Shawnacy Campbell Barber, the Canadian-American former world pole vault champion died January 17 at his home in Kinwood, Texas.  It was noted that he had been in bad health recently but no cause of death has been announced.  Barber, born in the US, but whose father is a Canadian citizen, chose to compete for Canada during his career.  He was an All-American at the University of Akron.  

Barber last competed at the Olympic level in 2016 in Rio finishing in 10th place.  However he won and placed high in numerous major championships over the years.  

The CBC reported as follows:  "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."

"He is the Canadian record holder in the men's pole vault at 6.00 metres (19'  8 1/4")  , which he set in January 2016. Barber won the 2015 world championships in Beijing, China, with a mark of 5.90 (19' 4 1/4"). The victory was Canada's first athletics world title in 12 years at the time, and its first-ever worlds pole vault medal."

"He is the Canadian record holder in the men's pole vault at 6.00 metres, which he set in January 2016. Barber won the 2015 world championships in Beijing, China, with a mark of 5.90. The victory was Canada's first athletics world title in 12 years at the time, and its first-ever worlds pole vault medal."

"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."

"He's survived by his mother, Ann; father, George; and brother, David.HIs father, George Barber, competed for Canada in pole vault at the 1983 world championships."

"Barber tested positive for traces of cocaine in a drug test before the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport had proposed a four-year ban from competition, but Barber wasn't suspended and instead was stripped of his 2016 national title."

"This has been a learning experience for Shawn, he is a young athlete learning how to compete on the field of play, and prepare away from it," Athletics Canada said in a statement at the time."

"He was permitted to compete in Brazil after it was determined he inadvertently ingested the banned substance."

"According to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) report, Barber ingested the cocaine on July 8, the night before he won the Canadian title in Edmonton, in a sexual encounter with a woman."

"The woman testified that she consumed cocaine before she met Barber and then again in the bathroom of his hotel room. She said at his hearing that he could not have known she'd used the drug."

"The court ruled that Barber, who called the positive test "a complete shock," had unknowingly ingested the drug through kissing."

"Barber came out as gay in an April 2017 Facebook post."

"He stated: "Gay and proud! Thank you to my parents for being such a great support. I continue to grow as a person and have a great support group. My parents are my greatest support and have helped me through a lot recently. To my friends, you are always my friends and I love you too!"

"Barber last competed in 2020."