Shawn Barber, the Canadian record holder and 2015 world champion in pole vault, has died at the age of 29.

Barber's agent Paul Doyle confirmed to Reuters he died Wednesday at home in Kirkwood, Texas of medical complications.

"More than just an incredible athlete, Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself," Doyle said on Thursday. "It's tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age."

Barber claimed gold at the 2015 Pan American Games and weeks later, the then 21-year-old upset a field including silver medallist Raphael Holzdeppe of Germany and favourite Renaud Lavillenie, who won bronze, in capturing the world title in Beijing.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-open-2024-sabalenka-refuses-to-shake-hands-with-ukraines-tsurenko-after-third-round-win-681405">Australian Open 2024: Sabalenka refuses to shake hands with Ukraine's Tsurenko after third-round win</a>

Barber's best jump of 6.0 metres set on Jan. 15, 2016 is still the Canadian record. He also competed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Barber first competed in pole vault at the age of seven, shattering the U.S. high school record by more than a foot before winning back-to-back NCAA indoor titles for the University of Akron in 2014 and '15 and then the 2015 NCAA outdoor title.

The vaulter held dual citizenship as his father George, his coach for most of his life, was born in Kincardine, northwest of Toronto. When he was first named to a Canadian team he said he chose to compete for Canada to follow in his dad's footsteps.

Barber is survived by his father, mother Ann, and brother David.

Shawn Barber, the Canadian record holder and 2015 world champion in pole vault, has died at the age of 29. Barber's agent Paul Doyle confirmed to Reuters he died Wednesday at home in Kirkwood, Texas of medical complications.

Shawn Barber, the Canadian record holder and 2015 world champion in pole vault, has died at the age of 29. Barber's agent Paul Doyle confirmed to Reuters he died Wednesday at home in Kirkwood, Texas of medical complications. "More than just an incredible athlete, Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself," Doyle said on Thursday. "It's tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age." Barber claimed gold at the 2015 Pan American Games and weeks later, the then 21-year-old upset a field including silver medallist Raphael Holzdeppe of Germany and favourite Renaud Lavillenie, who won bronze, in capturing the world title in Beijing. ALSO READ: Australian Open 2024: Sabalenka refuses to shake hands with Ukraine's Tsurenko after third-round win Barber's best jump of 6.0 metres set on Jan. 15, 2016 is still the Canadian record. He also competed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Barber first competed in pole vault at the age of seven, shattering the U.S. high school record by more than a foot before winning back-to-back NCAA indoor titles for the University of Akron in 2014 and '15 and then the 2015 NCAA outdoor title. The vaulter held dual citizenship as his father George, his coach for most of his life, was born in Kincardine, northwest of Toronto. When he was first named to a Canadian team he said he chose to compete for Canada to follow in his dad's footsteps. Barber is survived by his father, mother Ann, and brother David.

Pole Vault: Former world champion Shawn Barber dies at 29 due to medical complications

Armand&nbsp;Duplantis&nbsp;of Sweden set a new world pole vault record of 6.22 metres at an indoor meeting in France on Saturday, describing it as "almost an out-of-body experience". Olympic champion&nbsp;Duplantis&nbsp;improved his own record of 6.21m that he set in winning the world title outdoors in Oregon last year.

Competing at the All-Star Perche meeting in Clermont-Ferrand, central France organised by 2012 Olympic pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie,&nbsp;Duplantis&nbsp;cleared the new record at his third attempt to the delight of the 4,000-strong crowd.&nbsp;

Duplantis, 23, said: "When you have moments like this, when the energy is so high, and you're going down there for the record, it feels like levitating, it feels like my body never even touched the ground the whole jump.

"There's something about it that just feels overwhelming right now, and I really think it's because Renaud means so much to me, he's meant so much to me since I first started, he's been my biggest inspiration, biggest idol.

"He really motivated me, made me believe that I could break the world record. So for me to break the world record here, his hometown, his competition that he hosts…"

US-born&nbsp;Duplantis&nbsp;entered the competition at 5.71 metre, clearing that height at his first attempt.&nbsp;

He passed at 5.81 metre and managed 5.91 metre on his second try before winning the competition by clearing 6.01 metre on his first attempt before having the bar raised to the record height.

It was the sixth time that&nbsp;Duplantis&nbsp;has broken the world record.

He set the first in Torun in February 2020, when he cleared 6.17m to add a centimetre to Lavillenie's previous world record of 6.16m that had stood since 2014.

"Each world record feels like it brings something a bit different out of me,"&nbsp;Duplantis&nbsp;said. "Maybe the first one might have been a bit crazier, but this might be number two right now, it's really unbelievable."

He said re-writing the record books no longer left him with any nerves.

"The pressure doesn't really feel the same anymore to me. I've proved a lot the past few years, the past two years especially, and I know what kind of jumper I am, what I am capable of.

"I know that I am deserving to be in the spot that I am."

Duplantis&nbsp;is giving the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul next month a miss so will focus on the outdoor season and winning back-to-back world outdoor titles in Budapest in August. 
 
&nbsp;

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Armand Duplantis of Sweden set a new world pole vault record of 6.22 metres at an indoor meeting in France on Saturday, describing it as "almost an out-of-body experience".

Armand Duplantis of Sweden set a new world pole vault record of 6.22 metres at an indoor meeting in France on Saturday, describing it as "almost an out-of-body experience". Olympic champion Duplantis improved his own record of 6.21m that he set in winning the world title outdoors in Oregon last year. Competing at the All-Star Perche meeting in Clermont-Ferrand, central France organised by 2012 Olympic pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie, Duplantis cleared the new record at his third attempt to the delight of the 4,000-strong crowd. Duplantis, 23, said: "When you have moments like this, when the energy is so high, and you're going down there for the record, it feels like levitating, it feels like my body never even touched the ground the whole jump. "There's something about it that just feels overwhelming right now, and I really think it's because Renaud means so much to me, he's meant so much to me since I first started, he's been my biggest inspiration, biggest idol. "He really motivated me, made me believe that I could break the world record. So for me to break the world record here, his hometown, his competition that he hosts…" US-born Duplantis entered the competition at 5.71 metre, clearing that height at his first attempt. He passed at 5.81 metre and managed 5.91 metre on his second try before winning the competition by clearing 6.01 metre on his first attempt before having the bar raised to the record height. It was the sixth time that Duplantis has broken the world record. He set the first in Torun in February 2020, when he cleared 6.17m to add a centimetre to Lavillenie's previous world record of 6.16m that had stood since 2014. "Each world record feels like it brings something a bit different out of me," Duplantis said. "Maybe the first one might have been a bit crazier, but this might be number two right now, it's really unbelievable." He said re-writing the record books no longer left him with any nerves. "The pressure doesn't really feel the same anymore to me. I've proved a lot the past few years, the past two years especially, and I know what kind of jumper I am, what I am capable of. "I know that I am deserving to be in the spot that I am." Duplantis is giving the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul next month a miss so will focus on the outdoor season and winning back-to-back world outdoor titles in Budapest in August. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Sweden's Armand Duplantis does it again, sets new world record in pole vault

In a year where the entire world witnessed unprecedented circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic, Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis touched new heights in the field of athletics while shattering record books. Nicknamed ‘Mondo’, Armand Duplantis was not only immensely consistent during the 2020 Diamond League, the 21-year-old broke legendary Sergey Bubka’s 26-year-old outdoor world record in September 2020.&nbsp;

Duplantis, who also holds the indoor world record of 6.18 meters set in Glasgow in February, came to the world scene after breaking age-group records while winning the silver medal at 2019 World Championships.&nbsp;

In an exclusive interview with WION’s Sports Editor, Digvijay Singh Deo, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis – World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year 2020 – spoke about his unforgettable year 2020, record-breaking spree in Pole Vault, registering new world record, expectations in Tokyo Olympics and much more.&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

<img alt="Armand 'Mundo' Duplantis" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74e82ebf-bbb9-4406-9d1d-99ef9149ffe3" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_8Q826L.jpg" />

Duplantis, who was a child prodigy born in a renowned Athletic family, started the year 2020 on a sharp note and registered a new world record of 6.18 metres (20 feet, 3 ¼ inches) in Glasgow in February. After months of lockdown due to the pandemic, Duplantis came back stronger and sharper to get hold of the outdoor world record at such a young age.

“2020 started off perfectly for me. I had the close to perfect indoor season where I was able to break the world record twice so I can't really complain. Everything felt right about the world and then 2 weeks after the indoor season closed the pandemic started to set in. Everything came to a screeching halt. All events I prepared for, the Olympics and the European Championships were postponed. But I was still able to come away with an outdoor season and get some good marks in even though it was a restricted season. I cannot complain how things worked out but it was definitely worse for other people,” Duplantis told WION in an exclusive interview.&nbsp;

<img alt="Armand 'Mundo' Duplantis" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="618d9a2a-7713-42c1-a493-a7808d6f182b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_8Q8276.jpg" />

With the previous winners of World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year being the likes of Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson, Renaud Lavilennie among others, Duplantis, at just 21, has set the bar high.&nbsp;

“Everyone was asking me if I could fill Usain Bolt's shoes when I broke the world record. I do not worry about it too much as we are different people who do different events. I go out there, try to jump high and just be genuine. I like putting on a show and everything else just works out,” Duplantis said.

And with success, come expectations. Many young athletes crumble under pressure. But Duplantis has his target clear from a very young age.&nbsp;

“I have expectations from a very young age but I also have very huge expectations from myself. I always believed as a kid that I was capable of breaking the world record and I thought that eventually, I would get up to the required heights and be chasing for Olympic golds. My expectations of myself always equalled what other people thought of me and that ensured I never stressed over what people thought of me. But yes, expectations have been higher than ever before,” Duplantis explained.&nbsp;

<img alt="Armand 'Mundo' Duplantis" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c0ba2280-88da-47ac-8ccd-f88bc8574d32" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_8PV979.jpg" />

Duplantis went undefeated through the year and went on to broke the indoor and outdoor mark. The thrill and excitement of achieving a dream at a tender age follow.

Despite breaking Bubka’s record, Duplantis considers the former Ukrainian Pole Vaulter as the greatest that ever lived. However, the youngster wants to be better than everyone and set fresh benchmarks.

“Breaking the world record for the first time in Torun was a very crazy feeling. There was this rush of emotions that flooded through my body and it was hard to believe that it actually happened. I always dreamed of the day it would come and the moment and the second I went over the bar and realised what was happening I felt like I blacked out for a second and I remember running around and shouting like crazy. You do not get many such moments like that in your career and I will always cherish it,” the 21-year-old said.

“Bubka is still considered the greatest pole vaulter that ever lived. I want to be the best pole vaulter that ever lived and I want to go out there and do the things that he did and make it even better. I want to jump even higher and accomplish more. I want to do things that nobody has ever seen before and while there is a long way to go, I have made a good start,” he added.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
MALE WORLD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR! ✨ 
 
Mondo Duplantis is crowned Male Athlete of the Year at the 2020 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldAthleticsAwards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldAthleticsAwards</a> 
 
Congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/mondohoss600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mondohoss600</a> 👏 <a href="https://t.co/Kk7YX0P6do">pic.twitter.com/Kk7YX0P6do</a>
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics/status/1335252879586848768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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With Japan and International&nbsp;Olympic Association determined to go ahead with the Tokyo Olympics, athletes are gearing up for the quadrennial event. For Duplantis, it will be his first-ever Olympic appearance.

“Pole vault has a lot of surprises and anything can happen on any given day. I do not know how the conditions will be or how I will be feeling. I will go in there and make sure I am in the best shape possible and everything else works out. I am going to do everything I can to end up on the top of that podium,” Duplantis said.

“I have not been to an Olympics before but I can imagine it is very special., meeting people from all over the world and from all kinds of sports is really special thing. I understand everything will be different in Tokyo but the world is different now after the pandemic and one has to get used to it. For me restrictions or not, I hope the Olympics do take place,” he concluded.

In a year where the entire world witnessed unprecedented circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic, Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis touched new heights in the field of athletics while shattering record books.

In a year where the entire world witnessed unprecedented circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic, Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis touched new heights in the field of athletics while shattering record books. Nicknamed ‘Mondo’, Armand Duplantis was not only immensely consistent during the 2020 Diamond League, the 21-year-old broke legendary Sergey Bubka’s 26-year-old outdoor world record in September 2020. Duplantis, who also holds the indoor world record of 6.18 meters set in Glasgow in February, came to the world scene after breaking age-group records while winning the silver medal at 2019 World Championships. In an exclusive interview with WION’s Sports Editor, Digvijay Singh Deo, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis – World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year 2020 – spoke about his unforgettable year 2020, record-breaking spree in Pole Vault, registering new world record, expectations in Tokyo Olympics and much more. × Duplantis, who was a child prodigy born in a renowned Athletic family, started the year 2020 on a sharp note and registered a new world record of 6.18 metres (20 feet, 3 ¼ inches) in Glasgow in February. After months of lockdown due to the pandemic, Duplantis came back stronger and sharper to get hold of the outdoor world record at such a young age. “2020 started off perfectly for me. I had the close to perfect indoor season where I was able to break the world record twice so I can't really complain. Everything felt right about the world and then 2 weeks after the indoor season closed the pandemic started to set in. Everything came to a screeching halt. All events I prepared for, the Olympics and the European Championships were postponed. But I was still able to come away with an outdoor season and get some good marks in even though it was a restricted season. I cannot complain how things worked out but it was definitely worse for other people,” Duplantis told WION in an exclusive interview. With the previous winners of World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year being the likes of Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson, Renaud Lavilennie among others, Duplantis, at just 21, has set the bar high. “Everyone was asking me if I could fill Usain Bolt's shoes when I broke the world record. I do not worry about it too much as we are different people who do different events. I go out there, try to jump high and just be genuine. I like putting on a show and everything else just works out,” Duplantis said. And with success, come expectations. Many young athletes crumble under pressure. But Duplantis has his target clear from a very young age. “I have expectations from a very young age but I also have very huge expectations from myself. I always believed as a kid that I was capable of breaking the world record and I thought that eventually, I would get up to the required heights and be chasing for Olympic golds. My expectations of myself always equalled what other people thought of me and that ensured I never stressed over what people thought of me. But yes, expectations have been higher than ever before,” Duplantis explained. Duplantis went undefeated through the year and went on to broke the indoor and outdoor mark. The thrill and excitement of achieving a dream at a tender age follow. Despite breaking Bubka’s record, Duplantis considers the former Ukrainian Pole Vaulter as the greatest that ever lived. However, the youngster wants to be better than everyone and set fresh benchmarks. “Breaking the world record for the first time in Torun was a very crazy feeling. There was this rush of emotions that flooded through my body and it was hard to believe that it actually happened. I always dreamed of the day it would come and the moment and the second I went over the bar and realised what was happening I felt like I blacked out for a second and I remember running around and shouting like crazy. You do not get many such moments like that in your career and I will always cherish it,” the 21-year-old said. “Bubka is still considered the greatest pole vaulter that ever lived. I want to be the best pole vaulter that ever lived and I want to go out there and do the things that he did and make it even better. I want to jump even higher and accomplish more. I want to do things that nobody has ever seen before and while there is a long way to go, I have made a good start,” he added. MALE WORLD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR! ✨ Mondo Duplantis is crowned Male Athlete of the Year at the 2020 #WorldAthleticsAwards Congratulations @mondohoss600 👏 pic.twitter.com/Kk7YX0P6do — World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) December 5, 2020 × With Japan and International Olympic Association determined to go ahead with the Tokyo Olympics, athletes are gearing up for the quadrennial event. For Duplantis, it will be his first-ever Olympic appearance. “Pole vault has a lot of surprises and anything can happen on any given day. I do not know how the conditions will be or how I will be feeling. I will go in there and make sure I am in the best shape possible and everything else works out. I am going to do everything I can to end up on the top of that podium,” Duplantis said. “I have not been to an Olympics before but I can imagine it is very special., meeting people from all over the world and from all kinds of sports is really special thing. I understand everything will be different in Tokyo but the world is different now after the pandemic and one has to get used to it. For me restrictions or not, I hope the Olympics do take place,” he concluded.

Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis: I want to be the best pole vaulter to ever live | Exclusive Interview

Pole vault's new wonder boy Armand Duplantis is back in the news for breaking his world record within a week.&nbsp;

The 20-year old on Saturday broke his world record by clearing a 6.18 meters mark on his first attempt in the&nbsp;Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow.&nbsp;

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One week after breaking the pole vault world record in Torun, <a href="https://twitter.com/mondohoss600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mondohoss600</a> improves the mark to 6.18m*. 
 
Our report from the Glasgow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldIndoorTour?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldIndoorTour</a>👇 
 
📰:<a href="https://t.co/9d32UWC4q1">https://t.co/9d32UWC4q1</a> <a href="https://t.co/0jioUkARH0">pic.twitter.com/0jioUkARH0</a>
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics/status/1228927246024396801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Last weekend the US-born Swedish player had broken the pole vaulting world record after clearing 6.17 meters in Poland.&nbsp;

After the second achievement, Duplantis earned a $30,000 bonus.&nbsp;

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💥WORLD RECORD💥<a href="https://twitter.com/mondohoss600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mondohoss600</a> breaks the pole vault world record AGAIN. 
 
6.18m. 
 
Incredible.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldIndoorTour?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldIndoorTour</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZJO8LWq4nM">pic.twitter.com/ZJO8LWq4nM</a>
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics/status/1228689066482380800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Armand Duplantis is the son of former American pole vaulting legend Greg Duplantis and Swedish mother Helena Duplantis. He was born in Louisiana, United States, but still chose to represent his mother's native country Sweden.&nbsp;

According to Duplantis' family, the world record holder has been practising the game on the pole vault pit built in the back garden of his Lousiana home since he was three years old.&nbsp;

"There are a lot of reasons why this event is so complicated and so many things go into making a good jump," Duplantis, whose nickname is Mondo, told BBC Sport.

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</ul>

"So many years of hard work go into this, but when you do it right it seems simple.

"Safe to say I feel good, I feel fast and strong on the runway. I'm excited about the outdoor season, and the Olympics is where I want to be the best."

The former child phenomenon holds world records at every age level from under 7 to under 12, while by 18 he had cleared 6 meters.

Pole vault's new wonder boy Armand Duplantis is back in the news for breaking his world record within a week. The 20-year old on Saturday broke his world record by clearing a 6.

Pole vault's new wonder boy Armand Duplantis is back in the news for breaking his world record within a week. The 20-year old on Saturday broke his world record by clearing a 6.18 meters mark on his first attempt in the Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow. One week after breaking the pole vault world record in Torun, @mondohoss600 improves the mark to 6.18m*. Our report from the Glasgow #WorldIndoorTour👇 📰:https://t.co/9d32UWC4q1 pic.twitter.com/0jioUkARH0 — World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 16, 2020 × Last weekend the US-born Swedish player had broken the pole vaulting world record after clearing 6.17 meters in Poland. After the second achievement, Duplantis earned a $30,000 bonus. 💥WORLD RECORD💥@mondohoss600 breaks the pole vault world record AGAIN. 6.18m. Incredible.#WorldIndoorTour pic.twitter.com/ZJO8LWq4nM — World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) February 15, 2020 × Armand Duplantis is the son of former American pole vaulting legend Greg Duplantis and Swedish mother Helena Duplantis. He was born in Louisiana, United States, but still chose to represent his mother's native country Sweden. According to Duplantis' family, the world record holder has been practising the game on the pole vault pit built in the back garden of his Lousiana home since he was three years old. "There are a lot of reasons why this event is so complicated and so many things go into making a good jump," Duplantis, whose nickname is Mondo, told BBC Sport. "So many years of hard work go into this, but when you do it right it seems simple. "Safe to say I feel good, I feel fast and strong on the runway. I'm excited about the outdoor season, and the Olympics is where I want to be the best." The former child phenomenon holds world records at every age level from under 7 to under 12, while by 18 he had cleared 6 meters.

Pole vault wonder boy Armand Duplantis breaks own world record within a week