‘Tragic’: World Champion Pole Vaulter Dies at Age 29
A former world champion pole vaulter died Thursday at age 29.
Shawn Barber, a three-time NCAA champion with the University of Akron in Ohio, died “from medical complications,” the school’s Department of Athletics said in a news release Thursday.
The athlete’s specific cause of death was not released, but the university said he “had fallen ill and had been experiencing poor health for some time.”
The release described Barber, who became the Zips’ first male individual national champion in 2014, as a “well-liked teammate and competitor.”
His agent, Paul Doyle, confirmed that he died at his home in Kingwood, Texas, according to The Associated Press.
“More than just an incredible athlete,
