The world of athletics mourns one of its champions.
Shawn Barber, who won the pole vault gold medal at the 2015 Beijing Olympics, died Wednesday at his home in Kingwood, Texas, at the age of 29, his agent, Paul, said Doyle, to the American news agency Associated Press.
He died from a “
medical complication
”.
The exact cause of his death is not known at this time.
“
In addition to being an incredible athlete, Shawn was a kind-hearted person who always put others before himself,”
said Paul Doyle.
“It’s tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age
.”
Shawn Barber revealed himself to the general public by achieving a jump of 5.90 meters on the first attempt during the Beijing Olympics, beating the German Raphael Marcel Holzdeppe and the Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie.
In 2016, the Canadian crossed the 6 meter mark in Nevada, which is the record in his country of origin.