Canadian Olympic pole vaulter Shawn Barber has passed away at the incredibly young age of 29. The details on what exactly caused Barber's death are still unknown, but there have been reports that the athlete had been struggling with health problems recently.
From Mirror UK:
His agent, Paul Doyle, sadly expressed: "More than just an incredible athlete, Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself. It's tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age."
It is yet unknown what exactly led to Barber's sudden passing, but there were reports suggesting he had been struggling with health problems recently. The super-talented sportsman represented his country in various tournaments, world championships, and the Olympics, including Rio 2016.
Born in New Mexico, Shawn spent much of his life split between the two countries - America and Canada, courtesy of his father's roots in Ontario. His remarkable pole vault record of 6 meters for Canada, set in Nevada in 2016, remains unbeaten. And this was just months after grabbing a world championship in Beijing with a finish of 5.9 meters.
There has been an outpouring of tributes on socials for the brilliant athlete. One touching tribute came from Polish pole vaulter Piotr Lisek, who shared a podium with Barber at the 2015 World Championships.
Lisek said: "One of the best pole vaulters in the world, Shawn Barber, passed away today! We had the opportunity to host him on Polish soil many times, and he showed his heart many times with incredible cheerfulness. He was only 29 years old! 2015 World Champion, six-meter tall!"
What's there really left to say at this point?
We keep seeing so many young people dying these days, and yes, of course, people in their 20s and 30s die of illnesses all the time, but you can't deny that we seem almost inundated by this very familiar story.
We'll have to see what the determination is for the cause of death and just pray it doesn't confirm our worst fear.
