Dead | Shawn Barber, who died at the age of 29, had his career overshadowed by injuries, a cocaine kiss and his father's prison sentence

Canadian pole vault world champion Shawn Barberin full Shawnacy Campbell Barber, rose to the top at a young age, but many difficulties in his personal life quickly stopped the career. Barber died on January 17 at just 29 years old.

Barber's first prestigious competitions were the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, i.e. he was 19 years old at the time. There was no success: he was eliminated from the final competition. The one who represented Finland experienced the same fate Jere Bergiuswho characterizes Barber as similar to other jumpers, i.e. as a “good-natured guy”.

“Seemed like a positive guy,” Bergius says and emphasizes that he didn't actually know Barber.

Barber's star moments fell in 2015 and at the very beginning of 2016. Barber won gold at the World Championships in Beijing with a score of 590. In January 2016, he crossed six meters in the indoor games with a tie score of 600.

Still in 2018, Barber achieved good results, including taking silver in the Commonwealth Games and finishing third in the Diamond League Brussels competition with a score of 583.

Already a year After the 2015 World Championship gold, dark clouds came over Barber. His father George Barber was his coach, but George Barber was shelved shortly after the World Cup from all Canadian national team activities.

At that time, the Canadian Athletics Federation learned that George Barber had received a three-year prison sentence in 2007 in New Mexico. Barber, who worked at a high school, had sex with a 17-year-old female student in 2005.

Shawn Barber comments on the shelf for the Canadian for the CBC television companythat he understands Athletics Canada's decision and that it has no bearing on his coaching, as George Barber has no role in Athletics Canada.

“My dad has always supported me and I'm sure he'll continue to be my biggest fan no matter what I do.”

Shawn Barber also decided to represent Canada following in his father's footsteps. Shawn Barber spent his childhood in New Mexico, USA, but he was born in Kincardine, Canada.

In 2015, Shawn Barber competed in the Diamond League competition in London. Picture: Phil Noble / Reuters

Shawn Barber's own darkest moment came in 2016, when he broke down on cocaine. However, he avoided a two-year suspension, because he said that he got the substance in his body after kissing a woman who used cocaine.

The explanation was accepted, as the woman testified during the interrogations that she had not told Barber about her drug use.

The decision was interesting, because in the same year, 2016, a skier Therese Johaug was banned from competition for 18 months for using Trofodermin wound ointment containing doping, which he said he used to treat his chapped lips.

Johaug also asserted his ignorance, and in addition, the Norwegian team doctor who administered the wound ointment stated that he was solely to blame for what happened.

In 2017 Barber made headlines by announcing on Facebook that he is gay. It was big news for the sports world, because coming out of the closet was rare at the time and still is today in elite sports.

“Gay and proud of it,” Barber wrote.

Season 2018 after, the difficulties started on the sports fields. He did not compete at all in 2019 as he reportedly had problems with both ankles. He returned to compete after a 16-month hiatus at the US Indoor Championships.

Ankles were not the only reason for the break.

“I had personal problems – injuries, family issues. There have been many personal factors throughout my career that I've had to reassess, and that process is still ongoing,” Barber said for the CBC in January 2020.

Barber said at the time that he was “pretty healthy most of the time” and that he was aiming to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. As is known, the Tokyo Games were not until 2021 due to the corona pandemic and Barber did not compete there. He announced that he will end his pole vaulting career in December 2021.

Barber's the causes of death have not been reported in more detail. It is known that he had been ill and in poor health for some time. So far, only “medical complications” have been reported as the cause of death.

Read more: More information on the death of pole vaulter Shawn Barber, 29