Ezra Frech Biography
Ezra Frech is an American Paralympic track and field athlete whose name has become synonymous with resilience, speed, and the power of adaptive sport. Born in Los Angeles, California, Frech grew up with congenital limb differences and turned what many might view as a limitation into the foundation of one of the most inspiring athletic careers of his generation. He is an American citizen and has represented the United States on the world stage for more than a decade.
Today, Frech is known as a two time Paralympic gold medalist, a world record holder, and a public figure who uses his platform to champion disability rights and adaptive sport. His journey from a young boy learning to walk on a prosthetic leg to a global sporting icon offers a compelling look at what determination paired with opportunity can achieve. This article explores his early life, his rise through the ranks of Paralympic athletics, his personal life, and the many honors he has collected along the way.
Ezra Frech Early Life
Ezra Frech was born on May 11, 2005, in Los Angeles, California. He arrived in the world with congenital limb differences, including a shortened left leg and a left hand with a limited number of fingers. When he was just eleven months old, Frech received his first prosthetic leg, and at the age of two, his left leg was surgically amputated below the knee to allow for a more functional prosthetic fit.
His parents, actress Bahar Soomekh and entrepreneur Clayton Frech, chose to raise him with an emphasis on ability rather than limitation. From a young age, Ezra was encouraged to try every sport available to him, including basketball, soccer, baseball, and karate, long before he ever picked up track and field as his primary pursuit. This exposure to a wide range of physical activities helped build the athletic foundation and competitive mindset that would later define his career.
Frech attended Brentwood School in Los Angeles, where he competed on the school track team against able bodied athletes, an experience that pushed him to refine his technique and compete at a consistently higher level. He graduated from Brentwood in 2023 having already represented the United States internationally on multiple occasions.
Ezra Frech State of Origin
Ezra Frech was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, a city known for its deep sporting culture and its role as host of the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Growing up in Los Angeles gave Frech access to a strong community of coaches, adaptive sport organizations, and mentors, including the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which supported him as a young athlete with big ambitions.
His California upbringing has also shaped his public identity. Frech has spoken often about his excitement to potentially compete in a home Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, a milestone that would allow him to perform in front of family, friends, and the community that helped raise him. Los Angeles remains central to his training base and his ongoing advocacy work.
Ezra Frech Career
Junior Competitions and Early Recognition
Frech’s athletic career began attracting attention early. In 2014, as a young child, he was named a finalist for the Sports Illustrated SportsKid of the Year award. Two years later, after watching the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016, an eleven year old Frech told his mother that his goal was to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. He began training seriously from that point forward.
By 2019, at just fourteen years old, Frech made the United States Paralympic Track and Field Team. That year he competed in the Junior World Para Athletics Championships, where he won three medals, followed by the Parapan American Games, where he collected two silver medals. He also competed in the World Para Athletics Championships, finishing in the top eight in all three of his events while being the youngest athlete among more than fourteen hundred competitors.
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
The COVID nineteen pandemic delayed the Tokyo Paralympic Games until the summer of 2021, but Frech continued training throughout the disruption, often working out in parks, on beaches, and in his backyard. Once he was able to return to structured training in early 2021, he balanced full time schooling with an intense competition schedule.
At the United States Paralympic Track and Field Trials, Frech became the T63 national champion in the one hundred meters and long jump, and he set an Americas record in the long jump while qualifying for the high jump with an A standard mark. At the Tokyo Games, he competed in the T63 long jump, finishing eighth, and the T63 high jump, finishing fifth. Although he did not medal, the experience gave him invaluable exposure to championship level competition at just sixteen years old.
Paris 2024 Paralympic Breakthrough
Frech’s career reached its highest point at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris. He won gold in the T63 one hundred meters with a personal best time, and he claimed a second gold medal in the T63 high jump with a Paralympic record clearance. He also competed in the long jump, finishing fifth. His high jump mark later became a world record in the T63 classification.
Leading into Paris, Frech had already established himself as a world champion, having won gold in the high jump at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships and taken silver at the 2024 World Championships in Kobe, Japan. His performances in Paris cemented his status as one of the most dominant athletes in his classification.
College Track and Field
In February 2024, Frech made history by becoming the first above the knee amputee to commit to compete in NCAA Division I track and field, joining the University of Southern California Trojans. He competed for one season for USC, running and jumping alongside able bodied collegiate athletes, an experience he has described as one of the most meaningful chapters of his athletic life.
Dancing With The Stars
In a new chapter that extended his public profile beyond athletics, Frech joined the cast of Dancing With The Stars for its thirty fifth season in 2026, partnering with professional dancer Daniella Karagach. The move reflected his continued willingness to step into unfamiliar arenas and use his visibility to bring attention to adaptive sport and disability representation in mainstream entertainment.
Ezra Frech Awards and Honors
Frech’s list of honors reflects both his athletic dominance and his advocacy work. He holds the world record in the T63 high jump and an American record in the T63 long jump. He is a two time Paralympic gold medalist from the 2024 Paris Games and a World Champion in the high jump. In 2025, he received the Team USA Community Champions award, presented in partnership with Comcast, recognizing his contributions off the field of competition. In 2024, the Challenged Athletes Foundation honored him with its Exceptional Athletic Performance Award at its Celebration of Abilities event, an organization with which Frech has been connected since his own childhood as a young athlete.
Ezra Frech Advocacy Work
Beyond competition, Frech has built a reputation as a motivational speaker and disability rights advocate. He frequently speaks to young people about embracing difference and pursuing ambitious goals regardless of physical circumstance. He has said that his primary motivation extends beyond his own achievements toward uplifting the wider disabled community, a message he repeats often in interviews and public appearances. His growing platform, bolstered by brand partnerships and media appearances, has allowed him to bring adaptive sport into mainstream conversation in a way few athletes in his classification have managed before him.
Ezra Frech Personal Life
Ezra Frech was born to actress Bahar Soomekh, who was born in Iran and raised in Los Angeles, and Clayton Frech, an American of German heritage who has also worked extensively in adaptive sport development. Frech has described his parents as instrumental in shaping his mindset from a young age, encouraging him to see his body as capable rather than limited.
Frech has often spoken about how public recognition has changed his day to day life in recent years. He has noted that although fame and attention have grown considerably since his Paralympic breakthrough, he feels that his core identity and values have remained the same. He continues to train in Los Angeles while balancing media commitments, speaking engagements, and preparation for future competitions, including a potential home Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
Conclusion
Ezra Frech’s story is one of transformation, from a young boy adapting to life with congenital limb differences to becoming one of the most recognizable Paralympians in the world. His achievements on the track, paired with his advocacy for the disabled community, have made him a genuine role model for young athletes everywhere. As he looks ahead to the possibility of competing in a home Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, Ezra Frech’s career appears far from finished, and his influence on adaptive sport is likely to continue growing for years to come.
FAQs
Who is Ezra Frech?
Ezra Frech is an American Paralympic track and field athlete known for winning two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games in the one hundred meters and high jump.
When was Ezra Frech born?
Ezra Frech was born on May 11, 2005, in Los Angeles, California.
What condition does Ezra Frech have?
Frech was born with congenital limb differences affecting his left leg and left hand. His left leg was amputated below the knee when he was two years old.
What events does Ezra Frech compete in?
He primarily competes in the T63 classification in the one hundred meters, long jump, and high jump.
Did Ezra Frech attend college?
Yes, Frech attended the University of Southern California, becoming the first above the knee amputee to compete in NCAA Division I track and field.
Has Ezra Frech appeared on television outside of sport?
Yes, in 2026 he joined the cast of Dancing With The Stars for its thirty fifth season, partnering with professional dancer Daniella Karagach.