VOTE: Shawn Barber up for top amateur athletics award

Canadian sport fans should familiarize themselves with Shawn Barber, and a good way to do that is by voting for him to win the AAU Sullivan award.

Vote for Shawn Barber

The Canadian pole vaulter has been nominated for the 85th edition of the Amateur Athletic Union award, an honour of the highest distinction for individuals.

Past winners include U.S. Olympic swimmers Missy Franklin (2012), Michael Phelps (2003) and track superstar Michael Johnson (1996).

RELATED: Raising the Barber

Barber, 20, was born in the United States but calls Toronto his hometown and represents Canada internationally. Which is very good news because he has broken the national pole vault record four times in 2015 and on his most recent record-breaking flight, took down the NCAA mark by reaching 5.91 metres for the University of Akron Zips.

Closing in on the very exclusive six-metre mark in his discipline, and with the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games ahead at home Barber’s form has him at the forefront of Canadian sport at an exciting time for Athletics Canada.