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Shawn Barber looks on during the men's pole vault medal ceremony at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Carrara Stadium in Australia on April 12, 2018.
CNN –
Canadian world champion pole vaulter Shawn Barber has died at the age of 29, his agent Paul Doyle told CNN on Thursday.
Barber hired the Canadian Men's pole vault record in January 2016. He won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and also won the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China later that same year.
Barber died of medical complications Wednesday at his home in Kingwood, Texas, according to a statement from the University of Akron athletics department.
As a college student, Barber was a member of the University of Akron's track and field team, where he was a three-time NCAA Championship winner.
“Barber had become ill and had been in poor health for some time,” the athletic department statement said.
In the statement, the university called Barber a “popular teammate and competitor.”
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Shawn Barber competed in the men's pole vault final at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
“Shawn was more than just an incredible athlete, he was such a kind-hearted person who always put others before himself,” Doyle told the Associated Press, which he confirmed to CNN. “It is tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age.”
Barber made his Olympic debut at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, earning a spot in the final, which was later won by Thiago Braz of Brazil.
His best jump was 6 meters, which according to Olympics.com is still the Canadian record.
According to the University of Akron, Barber is survived by his brother David, his mother Ann and his father George Opinion.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the record set by Barber. He set the Canadian record in the men's pole vault.