Pole vault champion Shawn Barber remembered as selfless

Shawn Barber pictured here at a competition in Poland in 2018

Tributes have poured in for Canada's greatest pole vaulter, Shawn Barber, who died on Wednesday at the age of 29 due to medical complications.

Barber was remembered for his incredible talent, but also for his politeness and selflessness.

"To many, Shawn is known as one of the greatest male pole vaulters of all time," wrote Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman in a tribute.

"But to me, Shawn changed the way I lived life."

Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Barber always had the sport in his DNA.

His father, George Barber, represented Canada as a pole vaulter at the 1983 world championships, and later taught his son how to vault.

A dual Canadian-American citizen, the younger Barber chose to represent Canada throughout his competitive career, splitting his time between the US and Toronto, Canada.

He went on to cement himself as one of Canada's greatest athletes, competing in meets around the world.

He took gold at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, marking Canada's first athletics world title in 12 years at the time. Barber also won the Pan American Games that same year and finished 10th in the Rio 2016 Olympics.

In 2016, he set the national pole vault record after achieving a personal best jump of 6.00 meters.

Barber's college career at the University of Akron was also illustrious, where he was a three-time NCAA champion.

Polish pole vaulter Piotr Lisek hailed him as "one of the best pole vaulters in the world," in a tribute on social media.

A dual Canadian-American citizen, Barber chose to represent Canada throughout his career

But while Barber was internationally known and celebrated for his athletic prowess, it was his character that his friends say truly set him apart.

"With Shawn, there was never a bad day," Ms Newman wrote in her tribute on Instagram. "With him, heaviness was lightened, tears turned into laughter and every bad jump day, he had two drinks in-hand to help pass defeat."

She added he was "so selfless", and would "never miss a 'thank you' or a gesture to show people how thankful he was for their help."

His agent Paul Doyle, who first confirmed Barber's death to the Associated Press, said he was "more than just an incredible athlete".

"Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself," he told AP.

His long-time coach at Akron, Dennis Mitchell, told the Akron Beacon Journal that Barber was "extremely polite, nice, extremely well-spoken."

"He was a guy that had zero enemies," Mr Mitchell said. "He was everybody's buddy around the world."

In 2017, Barber came out publicly as gay in a post on Facebook, writing: "Gay and proud!"

"Thank you to my parents for being such a great support," he added. "I continue to grow as a person and have a great support group."

Barber is survived by his mother, father and brother George. His family and agent did not specify his cause of death, but said he had been experiencing health issues.

His career, though remarkable, was not without its challenges.

In 2015, Barber's father, who had coached him for much of his career, was banned by Athletics Canada after it emerged that he had been convicted on charges of having sex with a student in 2007 while he was employed at a US high school.

Barber still went on to compete after that. He cleared 5.84 meters in 2018, earning him third place at the Diamond League final in Brussels. He later finished third that year at the IAAF Continental Cup, held in the Czech Republic.

Ankle problems and other issues then forced him out of competition for 16 months.

"I was dealing with some personal issues - injuries, family," he told CBC Sport afterwards. But he added he was looking forward to a return to competing, and to have fun "without the sense of pressure."

He competed up until January 2020, with his final appearance being at a meet in Cottbus, Germany.