Shawn Barber (pole vaulter)

Shawnacy Campbell Barber (27 May 1994 – 17 January 2024) was a Canadian track and field athlete specializing in the pole vault.

He also holds the NCAA Collegiate Indoor Record at 5.91 m. After competing at the 2013 World Championships, Barber failed to qualify for the final.

[11][12] Barber turned professional and signed with Nike in August 2015, a year short of completing his college degree.

"[12] Barber cleared six metres for the first time in January 2016 at the Pole Vault Summit, improving his own national record and becoming the youngest athlete ever to reach that height indoors.

There had been a growing rivalry between himself and France's Renaud Lavillenie since the outdoor world championships, though here in the indoor event Barber did not meet those expectations.

"[15] At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Barber placed tenth in wet and windy conditions.

Barber avoided a multi-year suspension, successfully attributing the low-level cocaine violation to an intimate encounter with a woman he had met on Craigslist the night before Olympic trials.

[18] Shawn split his time growing up between the Toronto area and the United States, and graduated from Kingwood Park High School in Houston.

[22] On 17 January 2024, Barber died at his home in Kingwood, Texas, from medical complications following a period of ill health with no further details disclosed.