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| Born | (2005-05-11)May 11, 2005 (age 19) Los Angeles,California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Bahar Soomekh (mother) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relative | Saba Soomekh (aunt) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | T63 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | USC Trojans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ezra Frech (born May 11, 2005)[1] is an Americantrack and field athlete who competes inhigh jump,long jump andsprinting events. He is a two-timeParalympian, having competed at the2020 Summer Paralympics and won two gold medals at the2024 Summer Paralympics. He also won two silver medals at the2019 Parapan American Games. Frech is amotivational speaker anddisability rights advocate.[2]
Frech was born inLos Angeles,California, to motherBahar Soomekh, an actress born inIran and raised in Los Angeles, and father Clayton Frech, an American of German heritage.[3] He has two younger brothers, Gabriel and Elijah.[4]
Frech was born without most of his left leg (missing a knee andfibula) and missing fingers on his left hand. He received his firstprosthetic leg when he was 11 months old.[5][6] 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 atBoston Children's Hospital.[7]
Frech is a 2023 graduate of theBrentwood School. In February 2024, he became the first above-the-knee amputee to commit to anNCAA Division I track and field team at theUniversity of Southern California.[8] As of 2025[update], he is studying for abachelor’s degree in the business of cinematic arts.[1]
As a child, Frech playedbasketball,baseball,soccer, andkarate before focusing ontrack and field when he was 8 years old. His first track meet was in 2013 at theEndeavor Games inEdmond,Oklahoma, where he broke several national youth records and was inspired to continue in track and field. His father was also inspired at the Endeavor Games to create a similar event in Los Angeles, naming it the Angel City Games.
Frech was a 2014 finalist forSports Illustrated Sportkid of the Year.[9]
Frech's first international meet was at the2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championships, where he won one gold and two bronze medals. He won two silver medals at the2019 Parapan American Games.
Frech was the youngest athlete to compete at the2019 World Para Athletics Championships inDubai. He made the finals in all three of his events, but did not medal.[10][11]
In 2021, at the delayed2020 Summer Paralympic Games inTokyo, Frech placed 5th in thehigh jump T63 event with a personal best of 1.80 m (5 ft10+3⁄4 in) (missing the podium by 3 cm) and 8th in thelong jump T63 event with 5.85 m (19 ft2+1⁄4 in).
At the2023 World Para Athletics Championships inParis, Frech won the gold medal in high jump T63 and set a new world record at 1.95 m (6 ft4+3⁄4 in).[12] He also competed in themen's long jump T63 event.[13]
At the2024 World Para Athletics Championships inKobe, 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 1.97 m (6 ft5+1⁄2 in).[14] He also placed first in the long jump T63, breaking the U.S. record with a jump of 7.05 m (23 ft1+1⁄2 in).[15]
Frech competed at the2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, winning gold in the 100 meters T63[16] with a time of 12.06 seconds, and gold in the men's high jump T63 on his first jump at a height of 1.94 m (6 ft4+1⁄4 in), which also set a Paralympic Games record.[17]
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.[18]
In 2013, Frech, his father, Clayton Frech, and family and friends founded Angel City Sports to provide free, year-round access to sport training, equipment, and competitive opportunities for kids and adults with physical disabilities.[19] 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.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | World Para Junior Championships[20] | Nottwil, Switzerland | 1st | High jump 15-16 | 5.075 m (16 ft7+3⁄4 in) | — |
| 1st | Long jump 15-16 | — | ||||
| 3rd | 100 m 15-16 | 13.88 s | — | |||
| Parapan American Games[21] | Lima, Peru | 2nd | High jump T42-47/T63-64 | 1.74 m (5 ft8+1⁄2 in) | — | |
| 2nd | Long jump T63/T64 | 5.43 m (17 ft9+3⁄4 in) | — | |||
| 7th | 100 m T64 | 13.82 s | — | |||
| World Para Championships[22] | Dubai, UAE | 7th | High jump T63 | 1.74 m (5 ft8+1⁄2 in) | — | |
| 8th | Long jump T63 | 5.45 m (17 ft10+1⁄2 in) | — | |||
| 8th | 100 m T63 | 13.67 s | — | |||
| 2021 | Paralympic Games[22] | Tokyo, Japan | 5th | High jump T63 | 1.80 m (5 ft10+3⁄4 in) | — |
| 8th | Long jump T63 | 5.85 m (19 ft2+1⁄4 in) | — | |||
| 2023 | World Para Championships[22] | Paris, France | 1st | High jump T63 | 1.95 m (6 ft4+3⁄4 in) | — |
| 4th | Long jump T63 | 6.64 m (21 ft9+1⁄4 in) | — | |||
| 6th | 100 m T63 | 12.45 s | — | |||
| 2024 | World Para Championships[22] | Kobe, Japan | 2nd | High jump T63 | 1.85 m (6 ft3⁄4 in) | — |
| 4th | Long jump T63 | 6.58 m (21 ft 7 in) | — | |||
| Paralympic Games[22] | Paris, France | 1st | High jump T63 | 1.80 m (5 ft10+3⁄4 in) | WRPRNRPB | |
| 1st | 100 m T63 | 12.06 s | PB | |||
| 5th | Long jump T63 | 6.58 m (21 ft 7 in) | — |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | U.S. Paralympic Trials[23] | Miramar, Florida | 1st | High jump T63 | 1.97 m (6 ft5+1⁄2 in) | — |
| 1st | Long jump T63 | 7.05 m (23 ft1+1⁄2 in) | NR | |||
| 2nd | 100 m T63 | 12.26 s | — |
