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Canadian pole vaulter Shawn Barber looks to make history in Rio
Earlier this year, Canadian pole vaulter Shawn Barber joined an exclusive club. Competing at the Pole Vault Summit in Nevada in January, the 21-year-old cleared a height of six metres. He was just the 19th man to do so — and the youngest ever.
“It’s something every pole vaulter dreams of,” he said of reaching the height. “It’s a very exclusive club for us and I think it’s a great achievement. I’m looking forward to trying to do that again outdoors now.”
The reigning world champion is in Edmonton this weekend as he looks to book his ticket to the Rio Olympic Games at the Canadian track and field trials. With three spots up for grabs, Barber is all but a lock to qualify. Over the last three years, he’s been in a class by himself. Since he first topped the long-standing Canadian mark (5.61 metres) in March 2013 with a jump of 5.71m, he’s continued to rewrite the record book many times over. Heading into Edmonton, his outdoor record stands at 5.93m.
“You always want to better yourself and if you’re competing with yourself, you can never run out of competition,” he said in an interview with Yahoo Canada Sports in Toronto last week.
Barber became the first Canadian to win a medal in the event with his world championships victory in Beijing last year. No Canadian has ever won gold in pole vault and indeed, if he lands on the podium in Rio he would be the first Canadian to do so in more than 100 years (A fellow by the name of William Halpenny won bronze in 1912, while Canadian Edward Archibald won bronze in 1908).
Such historical milestones, however, appear to be the furthest thing from his mind.
“I think really it comes down to being proud of your accomplishments and being proud of how you represented your country and that’s what it would be more about — that I went out and I gave it my best shot and I did as well as I could have,” he said of the possibility of an Olympic title.
Barber has spent nearly his entire life pole vaulting. He took up the sport when he was about five years old, following in the footsteps of his father, George, who also competed for Canada internationally in the event. He’s the reason why the younger Barber, who grew up in the U.S., but holds dual citizenship, chooses to compete for Canada.
“Pole vaulting and Canada have always kind of been synonymous and it makes a lot of sense for me to come and pole vault for Canada. I feel very at home here,” he said.
Back in 2012, Canada didn’t send any male pole vaulters to the London Olympics. But Barber alone has put Canada back on the map in the field event. Fellow Canadian teammate and friend Alysha Newman said she draws inspiration from what Barber has been able to do.
“I always wanted to beat him and be in the spotlight he is,” she said, “so Shawn has really motivated me to really bring the pole vault world up in Canada and I think because of him, I’ve done so well.”
This year, Barber already has the third best jump (5.91m) and a podium finish in August is within his reach. After seeing the view from six metres up, Barber said he wants to, quite literally, continue raising the bar.
“Now that I’ve got that under my belt, let’s see how many more times I can do it and let’s see if we can go for world records now. I think that’s the next thing on the horizon.”
Six other Canadian Olympic medal hopefuls to watch:
Andre De Grasse – 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay
Racing against the top sprinters in the world, the Canadian won a bronze medal in the 100 metres at the world championships last August. That followed a summer where he won double gold in the 100 and 200 metres at both the NCAA championships and the Pan Am Games. De Grasse will be in tough against stars like two-time defending gold medallist Usain Bolt and the USA’s Justin Gatlin in Rio, but at just 21 years old, De Grasse has already proved he belongs on the world stage.
Melissa Bishop – 800 metres
The middle-distance runner from Eganville, Ont., became the first Canadian to run 800 metres in under one minute 58 seconds when she clocked in at 1:57.52 during her semifinal at last year's worlds. She went on to win the silver in the final at the event to go along with the gold she took home at the Pan Am Games.
Derek Drouin – high jump
The Sarnia, Ont., native won a surprise bronze medal at the 2012 London Games when he finished in a three-way tie for third in the high jump event. It was Canada’s only athletics medal in London and the first medal in high jump since Greg Joy’s silver in 1976. Last summer, Drouin won gold at both the Pan Am Games and the world championships. His jump of 2.40m at the Drake Relays in 2014 is the Canadian record.
Christabel Nettey – long jump
While attending Arizona State University, Nettey placed second at the NCAA championships in 2013. In 2014, she won bronze at the Commonwealth Games and in 2015, Nettey set the new Canadian record, both indoor and outdoors, with a jump of 6.99 metres. She won gold at the Pan Am Games in Toronto and finished just off the podium at the world championships last year, coming in fourth in Beijing.
Brianne Theisen-Eaton – Heptathlon
The heptathlete finished 11th four years ago in London, but since then has become one of the competitors to beat in the seven-discipline event. She’s the Canadian record holder with a score of 6,808 points and has won the prestigious Hypo-Meeting title three times, including back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. She also placed second at the world championships in both 2013 and 2015. In Edmonton this weekend, with no heptathlon on the menu, she's scheduled to take part in the shot put and high jump competitions.
Damian Warner – Decathlon
Since bursting on the scene in the 2012 Olympics with an unexpected fifth-place finish, Warner has steadily improved in the grueling two-day event. In 2013, Warner finished third at the world championships, posting a then personal best score of 8,512 points. In 2015, Warner broke the long-standing Canadian record when he won gold at the Pan Am Games with a score of 8,659 points. A month later he won silver at the world championships, behind only world-record holder Ashton Eaton.
