Now that former area resident Brigetta Barrett has qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, high-jumping a personal-best and meet-record 6 feet, 7 inches at Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., the question now becomes: Can she medal?

“This definitely means she’s going to be a medal contender in London,” said Sheldon Blockburger, Barrett’s jumping coach at the University of Arizona, where she just finished her junior year. “If she can jump that, she can finish first, second or third. It puts an exclamation point on her college season and gets her ready for the world tour.”