Barrett named Athlete of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS - Brigetta Barrett has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the women’s high jump at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China.
©Kirby Lee


Barrett dominated the competition, recording just one miss on her way to a personal best leap of 1.96m/6-5. Lithuania’s Airine Palsyte also cleared 1.96m/6-5, but finished second to Barrett based on number of attempts.

“I really appreciated the opportunity [to compete at the World University Games],” Barrett said. “It was great preparation and the best competition I’ve had all year. It was a great test for dealing with the pressure at this level.”

Barrett, who just finished her sophomore year at the University of Arizona, is in the midst of an incredible track season highlighted by victories at NCAA Indoors and Outdoors and her first USA Outdoor title. Her season is not over however; she will again represent Team USA at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, which begins this weekend.

“I didn’t even know what [the USA Championships] or [the World Championships] were a year ago, when I was a freshman,” Barrett said. “I was just aiming to better myself, and my coach started telling me about the meets, and I started to go after them.”

Despite all the success she’s had this year, Barrett is not done.

“At the end of the day, I’m still not satisfied with the year, I want to jump 1.98m.”

Now in its tenth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

Winners: January 5, Bill Tribou; January 12, Tyler Sorensen; January 20, Josh Cox; January 26,Ben Shorey; February 2, Ashton Eaton; February 9, Ashton Eaton; February 16, Bernard Lagat; February 23, Ryan Crouser; March 2, Jillian Camarena-Williams; March 10, Bill Collins; March 16, Miles Batty; March 23, Shalane Flanagan; March 30, John Nunn; April 6, Aries Merritt; April 13, Gunnar Nixon; April 20, Desiree Davila; April 27, Nolan Shaheed; May 4, Emma Coburn; May 11, Willie Gault; May 18, English Gardner; May 25, Kibwé Johnson; June 1, Khadevis Robinson; June 8, Carmelita Jeter; June 15, Lukas Verzbicas; June 22, Aisling Cuffe; June 29, Trevor Barron; July 6, Aldrich Bailey; July 13, Jillian Camarena-Williams; July 20, Johnnye Valien; July 27, Bernard Lagat; August 3, Marcus Krah; August 9, Leo Manzano; August 17, Magdalena Lewy Boulet; August 24, Brigetta Barrett

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.