Canadian record holder, and world champion pole vaulter Shawn Barber died at 29

Former Canadian world champion pole vaulter Shawn Barber has died. He was 29 years old.

Barber died Wednesday night, his agent Paul Doyle told The Canadian Press. The specific cause of death was not disclosed, but Barber had been dealing with an ongoing illness. Canadian women’s pole vaulter Alysha Newman shared several photos and a lengthy caption in an Instagram post.

“I wish I could say heaven received another angel but if I’m being honest it was way too soon,” she wrote. “Shawn, my teammate, my dear friend and confidant. I’m honored to have been in the same walk of life as you.” 

In an Instagram post from his management page, Doyle described Barber as “a friend that will never be forgotten,” before adding, “He will be greatly missed.”

“Gone way too soon,” said North Macedonia long jumper Andreas Trajkovski in another Instagram post. “So sad. This was a tough one to post.”