World champ pole vaulter Shawn Barber dies at 29

Shawn Barber, a world champion pole vaulter who came out without fanfare, has died. He was only 29 years old.

The Olympian died at home in Texas from medical complications, his agent confirmed to the Associated Press.

“More than just an incredible athlete, Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself,” said his agent, Paul Doyle. “It’s tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age.”

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Indeed. Barber catapulted himself into athletic stardom at the University of Akron, where he won back-to-back NCAA indoor championships in 2014 and 2015. He also captured the NCAA outdoor championship in 2015.

That summer, Barber took home gold at the Pan-Am Games. The Canadian followed up his incredible performance with a world championship that year as well.

Riding all of that momentum, Barber competed in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics for Team Canada, finishing 10th.

Doyle paid his respects on social media.

“A friend that will never be forgotten,” he wrote.

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Barber, who became only the 21st person in history to vault 6 meters, is the Canadian record holder. He’s survived by his mother, father and brother.

While Barber’s athletic impact was enormous, his legacy as an out gay Olympian is indelible. He publicly came out as gay in 2017, with a Facebook post that contained just 54 words:

Gay and proud! Thank you to my parents for being such a great support. I continue to grow as a person and have a great support group. My parents are my greatest support and have helped me through a lot recently. To my friends, you are always my friends and i love you too!

Following his big announcement, Barber said…nothing else. He didn’t respond to the hundreds of comments, nor did he post additional messages on social media.

Barber also didn’t give an interview to a single media outlet about his sexuality.

Though there’s tremendous power in out LGBTQ+ athletes sharing their stories, there’s also multiple ways to live an open life. Barber wasn’t hiding from his sexuality: he announced he was gay on Facebook at 22 years old.

But he didn’t make a big deal about it. He came out, and then just kept living.

In many respects, that’s the ultimate sign of progress. These days, many athletes live freely as LGBTQ+, without making any sort of grand proclamation. One of the best examples is Colorado State defensive end Kennedy McDowell.

The only out player in Division 1 football, McDowell was posting about his gay experiences for months before anybody noticed.

Previously, college football players who came out usually participated in a big interview, or made a specific coming out post.

But not McDowell. His sexuality only became a topic when he talked about Colorado State’s culture of inclusion in a story for The Athletic.

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A post shared by Kennedy McDowell (@_kennedycharles_)

When Barber came out seven years ago, there were at least 56 out Summer Olympians. During the 2020 Tokyo Games, there were at least 186.

The number should be similar, or even greater, in Paris. There will be scores of LGBTQ+ athletes competing for gold, without their sexualities serving as any distraction.

That’s perhaps Barber’s greatest impact.