Who is Ezra Frech? All about the 18-year-old Paralympian who won three titles at the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field National Championships 2024

Ezra Frech is an 18-year-old Paralympian who competes in long jump, high jump and 100m.

The American hogged the spotlight rece after winning three titles in the men’s long jump, high jump, and 100m T63 events at the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field National Championships 2024 in Walnut, California.

Competing at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College, the 18-year-old clinched the men’s high jump and 100m titles. He then went on to establish an American record in the long jump with a best effort of 6.64m to collect his third title in the weekend.

NBC Olympics & Paralympics shared about this impressive performance of the youngster on their X (formerly Twitter) handle, captioning the post as:

“Ezra Frech tallied three national titles at the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field National Championships. 🇺🇸”

Let's dive into knowing more about the track and field sensation who has made a name for himself on the international level.

Ezra Frech’s parents

Ezra Frech was born on May 11, 2005, in Los Angeles, California, to mother Bahar Soomekh, a former American actress, and Clayton Frech, a business manager who converted to Judaism. He has two younger brothers, Gabriel and Elijah Frech.

Ezra Frech’s disability

Born with a congenital limb difference, he was missing most of his left leg, including the knee and fibula, and fingers on his left hand. Ezra received a prosthetic leg when he was eleven months old.

At the age of two, he underwent surgery to remove his lower left leg at Boston Children's Hospital. The surgery also involved transplanting a toe from his amputated foot to his left hand.

When did Ezra Frech take up Athletics?

Frech was initially involved in a lot of sports like basketball, baseball, soccer, and karate. However, he started competing in track and field events in 2013 at the age of 8.

Ezra Frech’s track and field achievements

Frech competes in the Men's Long Jump T63 Final at the World Para Athletics Championships Paris 2023

Frech’s first international event was the World Para Athletics Junior Championships in 2019 where he bagged one gold (high jump T63) and two bronze medals. In the Parapan American Games 2019, he won two silver medals.

Despite not medaling at the World Para Athletics Championships 2019 in Dubai, he was the youngest athlete among all the participating nations and reached the finals in three events. He competed at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, finishing fifth in the high jump event with a best of 1.80m.

At the Para Athletics World Championship 2023 in Paris, he scripted history by setting a world record with an effort of 1.95m in the high jump T63 to claim the gold medal.

Ezra Frech’s contributions beyond the track

Presently, Frech is also a motivational speaker and has been raising awareness for people with physical disabilities since he was four years old. He is also the brand ambassador of Ottobock and Toyota.

In 2006, he and his family established Team Ezra which gives financial resources to organizations that work for people with physical disabilities.

He and his father Clayton founded Angel City Sports in 2013, a non-profit organization that provides free, year-round access to sports training, equipment, and competitive opportunities to kids and adults with physical disabilities.