(AP) — Shawn Barber, the Canadian pole vault record holder and 2015 world champion, has died from medical complications. He was 29.
Barber died Wednesday at home in Kingwood, Texas.
Barber was a standout at the University of Akron, where he captured back-to-back NCAA indoor championships in 2014 and 2015.
A cause of death was not known yet. Barber had been experiencing health issues. The university said Barber had fallen ill and had been experiencing poor health for some time.
He won the NCAA outdoor title as well in 2015, before taking gold later that summer at the Pan-Am Games.
Barber carried a wave of momentum into worlds that season in Beijing and won gold.
Barber is survived by his father, George, mother, Ann, and brother David.
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