When he leapt 7 feet and 6 inches into the air, breaking the NFHS high jump record as a senior at Yukon High School, Vernon Turner first began to think the Olympics could be in his future.

Arriving at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, for the U.S. Olympic team track and field trials a few weeks ago, Vernon Turner knew he had to beat the score of one other high jumper to ...