Shawnacy Barber facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shawnacy Barber

Barber competing in 2018
Personal information
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1994-05-27)27 May 1994 Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S.
Died	17 January 2024(2024-01-17) (aged 29) Kingwood, Texas, U.S.
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	79 kg (174 lb; 12.4 st)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Pole vault
College team	University of Akron
Turned pro	2015
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Outdoor 5.93 m (2015) NR Indoor 6.00 m (2016) NR
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd World Championships 1 0 0 Commonwealth Games 0 1 1 Pan American Games 1 0 0 Jeux de la Francophonie 0 1 0 World Junior Championships 0 0 1 Continental Cup 0 0 1 Total 2 2 3 Men's athletics Representing  Canada World Championships Gold 2015 Beijing Pole vault Commonwealth Games Silver 2018 Gold Coast Pole vault Bronze 2014 Glasgow Pole vault Pan American Games Gold 2015 Toronto Pole vault Jeux de la Francophonie Silver 2013 Nice Pole vault World Junior Championships Bronze 2012 Barcelona Pole vault Representing Americas Continental Cup Bronze 2018 Ostrava Pole vault

Shawnacy Campbell Barber (born May 27, 1994 – died January 17, 2024) was a Canadian track and field athlete. He was best known for his amazing skills in the pole vault.

Shawnacy was a world champion in pole vault. He won the event at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. He also became a Pan American Games champion in 2015. He won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

His best outdoor jump was 5.93 meters, which he achieved in 2015. This is still the Canadian national record. His best indoor jump was 6.00 meters from 2016, also a Canadian record. Shawnacy Barber was a very talented athlete who achieved a lot in his sport.

Shawnacy Barber's Pole Vault Career

College Achievements

Shawnacy Barber competed in the 2013 World Championships. He did not make it to the final round that year. However, at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he won a bronze medal. He was only 20 years old at the time.

In 2015, Shawnacy set a new personal best and national record. He jumped 5.91 meters at the 2015 Texas Relays. This jump also set a new NCAA (college sports) record. He was the top pole vaulter in the world at the start of that season. He later won the 2015 NCAA finals. This made him the only athlete from the University of Akron to win three NCAA titles. He had also won the indoor titles in 2014 and 2015.

Pan Am and World Success

The 2015 Pan American Games were held in Toronto, Canada. Shawnacy won the gold medal there with a jump of 5.80 meters. This jump tied the Pan Am record. He had a small scare early on when he almost missed a jump. He later said it was because of sunscreen on his hands. After these games, Shawnacy signed a contract with Nike.

After the Pan American Games, Shawnacy competed in the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing. He won the world title with a jump of 5.90 meters. This was Canada's first world title in athletics since 2003. Shawnacy was very happy after his win. He said he was lucky to be consistent throughout the competition.

In January 2016, Shawnacy jumped over six meters for the first time. This was a new national record for him. He was also the first athlete under 23 years old to reach this height. He then competed in the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He finished fourth in this event. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Shawnacy placed tenth. The weather conditions were wet and windy during his competition.

Shawnacy Barber's Life

Shawnacy Barber had dual Canadian and American citizenship. He was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in the U.S. His father was born in Canada. Shawnacy grew up spending time in both Canada and the United States. He chose to represent Canada in sports. He said pole vaulting was more important in Canada. He also wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. His father was also a pole vaulter for Canada.

Shawnacy Barber passed away on January 17, 2024. He died at his home in Kingwood, Texas. He was 29 years old. His death was due to medical complications after a period of illness.

Competition Record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  Canada
2012	World Junior Championships	Barcelona, Spain	3rd	5.55 m
2013	Universiade	Kazan, Russia	11th	5.15 m
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	27th (q)	5.40 m
	Pan American Junior Championships	Medellin, Colombia	1st	5.35 m
	Jeux de la Francophonie	Nice, France	2nd	5.20 m
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	3rd	5.45 m
2015	Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada	1st	5.80 m
	World Championships	Beijing, China	1st	5.90 m
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, United States	4th	5.75 m
	World Indoor Tour	Karlsruhe, Germany Boston, United States Stockholm, Sweden Glasgow, United Kingdom	Overall 1st in Pole vault	5.89 m
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	10th	5.50 m
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	8th	5.65 m
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	15th	5.45 m
	Commonwealth Games	Gold Coast, Australia	2nd	5.65 m
	NACAC Championships	Toronto, Canada	2nd	5.40 m
	2018 IAAF Continental Cup	Ostrava, Czech Republic	3rd	5.65 m1

¹Representing the Americas

Images for kids

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  Barber competing in 2018

See also

In Spanish: Shawnacy Barber para niños