As the world sets their eyes on the men's pole vault finals Monday evening, Canadian Olympian Shawn Barber has his eyes on first place.
No Canadian has ever won gold in pole vault.
If the 22-year-old captures a medal, he will be the first Canadian to do so in more than 100 years, Yahoo! Sports reports.
It's Barber's first Olympic Games. He won gold at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, setting an outdoor record of 5.93 metres. He also captured the top spot at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.
It's a position he has worked hard to achieve with the help of family.
"What I'm most looking forward to in Rio is having my friends and family there...for me that's a very special thing," he tells HuffPost Canada.
Born in Toronto, Barber moved to New Mexico at an early age. That's where his father and '80s Canadian pole vaulter George Barber trained his son in fields and makeshift barns with homemade pole vaults, according to CBC Sports.
Now, Barber has the chance to fulfill his lifelong dream of winning an Olympic medal.
Barber stopped by the HuffPost Canada studios during his training for Rio last year. Watch to find out more about his road to the Olympics in the interview above.
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