Ezra Frech (born May 11, 2005) is an American track and field athlete who competes in high jump, long jump and sprinting events. He is a two-time Paralympian, having competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics and won two gold medals at the 2024 Summer Paralympics. He also won two silver medals at the 2019 Parapan American Games. Frech is a motivational speaker and disability rights advocate.
Early life Frech was born in Los Angeles, California, to Bahar Soomekh, an actress born in Iran and raised in Los Angeles, and Clayton Frech, an American of German heritage. He has two younger brothers, Gabriel and Elijah.
Frech was born without most of his left leg (missing a knee and fibula) and missing fingers on his left hand. He received his first prosthetic leg when he was 11 months old. When he was 2 years old, Frech had surgery to remove his lower left leg and transplanted a toe from his amputated foot onto his left hand at Boston Children's Hospital.
Frech is a 2023 graduate of the Brentwood School. In February 2024, he became the first above-the-knee amputee to commit to an NCAA Division I track and field team at the University of Southern California. , he was studying for a bachelor's degree in cinematic arts.
Career As a child, Frech played basketball, baseball, soccer, and karate before focusing on track and field when he was 8 years old. His first track meet was in 2013 at the Endeavor Games in Edmond, Oklahoma, where he broke several national youth records and was inspired to continue in track and field.
Frech was a 2014 finalist for Sports Illustrated Sportkid of the Year.
Frech's first international meet was at the 2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championships, where he won one gold and two bronze medals. He won two silver medals at the 2019 Parapan American Games.
Frech was the youngest athlete to compete at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. He made the finals in all three of his events, but did not medal.
In 2021, at the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Frech placed 5th in the high jump T63 event with a personal best of (missing the podium by 3 cm) and 8th in the long jump T63 event with .
At the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, Frech won the gold medal in high jump T63 and set a new world record at . He also competed in the men's long jump T63 event.
At the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, he placed 2nd in the high jump T63 and 4th in the long jump T63.
Frech broke his own world record in high jump T63 at the 2024 USA Paralympic Trials with a jump of . He also placed first in the long jump T63, breaking the U.S. record with a jump of .
Frech competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, winning gold in the 100 meters T63 with a time of 12.06 seconds, and gold in the men's high jump T63 on his first jump at a height of , which also set a Paralympic Games record.
Philanthropy In 2006, Frech's family founded Team Ezra to provide financial resources to organizations that serve people with physical disabilities. Frech started speaking to schools at the age of 4 to raise awareness for people with impairments as part of his organization's project.
In 2013, Frech founded Angel City Sports to provide free, year-round access to sport training, equipment, and competitive opportunities for kids and adults with physical disabilities. Angel City Sports hosts one of the largest adaptive sporting events in the country, the Angel City Games, as well as events for veterans, first responders, and youth.
Competition history
International competitions 2019World Para Junior ChampionshipsNottwil, Switzerland1st High jump 15-16 1st Long jump 15-16 3rd 100 m 15-16 13.88 sParapan American GamesLima, Peru2nd High jump T42-47/T63-64 2nd Long jump T63/T64 7th 100 m T64 13.82 sWorld Para ChampionshipsDubai, UAE 7th High jump T63 8th Long jump T63 8th 100 m T63 13.67 s2021Paralympic GamesTokyo, Japan5thHigh jump T638thLong jump T632023World Para ChampionshipsParis, France1st High jump T63 4th Long jump T63 6th 100 m T63 12.45 s2024World Para ChampionshipsKobe, Japan2nd High jump T63 4th Long jump T63 Paralympic GamesParis, France1stHigh jump T63 1st100 m T6312.06 s5thLong jump T63
National competitions 2024U.S. Paralympic TrialsMiramar, Florida1st High jump T63 1st Long jump T63 2nd 100 m T63 12.26 s
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2016 Kirby Buckets Sprint Phillips Episode: Torched 2026 Dancing with the Stars Himself Contestant (season 35)
References
External links
Ezra Frech at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics (, alternate link 2)