Canadian pole vaulter Shawn Barber captures bronze in Diamond League Final

BRUSSELS — Canada’s Shawn Barber won bronze in the pole vault at the Diamond League Final on Friday.

The 24-year-old from Toronto cleared 5.83 metres on his first attempt, but missed his three attempts at 5.88. Russia’s Timur Morgunov cleared 5.93 to win gold, while American Sam Kendricks captured the silver with 5.88.  

Christabel Nettey of Surrey, B.C., was seventh in the long jump with a jump of 6.52. Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen jumped 6.80 to win.

Michael Mason of Nanaimo, B.C., cleared 2.26 metres to finish seventh in the high jump. Brandon Starc of Australia won the gold with a height of 2.33.

Mohammed Ahmed of Hamilton ran a season’s best 13 minutes 3.08 seconds to cross ninth in the men’s 5,000 metres. Ethiopia took the top five spots led by 18-year-old Selemon Barega, who won gold in 12.43.02.

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Barber’s bronze comes after a couple of rocky seasons for the Canadian record holder. Barber won gold at the 2015 world championships in Beijing, but struggled in poor weather at the Rio Olympics a year later to finish 11th. He was eighth at the world championships last summer in London.

Barber showed signs he was returning to form when he jumped 5.92 in March, just shy of his Canadian record 5.93 he set in 2015.

The Diamond League Final featured the top point-scorers across the season’s 14 Diamond League meets. The winner of each of the 32 disciplines earned US$40,000 and a diamond trophy.

The Canadian Press