Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Los Angeles, California, United States | May 11, 2005||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 150 lb (68 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent | Bahar Soomekh (mother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relative | Saba Soomekh (aunt) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Country | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Paralympic athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Disability class | T63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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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 and 2024 Summer Paralympics, and was a double silver medalist at the Parapan American Games. Frech is a motivational speaker and disability rights advocate.[1]
Early life
Frech was born in Los Angeles, California, to mother Bahar Soomekh, a Persian Jewish actress born in Iran, and father Clayton Frech, a Californian and convert to Judaism.[2] Like his parents, Frech is Jewish. He has two younger brothers, Gabriel and Elijah.[3]
Frech was born without most of his left leg (missing a knee and fibula) and missing fingers on his left hand. 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.[4] He received his first prosthetic leg when he was 11 months old.[5][6]
Frech is a 2023 graduate of the Brentwood School. In February 2024, he became the first above-the-knee amputee to commit to a NCAA Division I track and field team when he signed on to attend the University of Southern California.[7]
He was a 2014 finalist for Sports Illustrated Sportkid of the Year.
Career
As a child, Frech played basketball, baseball, soccer, and karate before focusing on track and field in 2013, when he was 8 years old. His first track meet was the Endeavor Games in Edmond, Oklahoma, where he broke a few 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’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.[8][9]
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 1.80 m (5 ft 10+3⁄4 in) (missing the podium by 3 cm) and 8th in the long jump T63 event with 5.85 m (19 ft 2+1⁄4 in).
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 1.95 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in).[10]
At the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, he placed 2nd in the high jump T63 and 4th in the long jump T63.
Most recently, nearly a month out from the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, Frech broke his own world record in high jump T63 at the USA Paralympic Trials with a jump of 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in).[11] He also placed first in the long jump T63, breaking the American record[12] and placed 2nd in the 100-meter sprint.
Philanthropy
In 2006, Frech and his 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 four to raise awareness for people with impairments as part of his organization's project.[13]
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.[14] 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.
References
- ^ "Ezra Frech - IPC Athlete Bio". ipc.infostradasports.com. May 28, 2020.[dead link]
- ^ Elizabeth Karpen (July 15, 2024). "Meet the top Jewish athletes to watch at the Paris 2024 Olympics," Unpacked.
- ^ Burack, Emily (June 25, 2021). "18 Things to Know About Jewish Paralympian Ezra Frech". Hey Alma. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ https://www.kidsinthehouse.com/expert/parenting-advice-from-bahar-soomekh [bare URL]
- ^ "Ezra Frech". Challenged Athletes Foundation. May 28, 2020.
- ^ "The Inspirational Story of 9-Year-Old Ezra Frech". Seeker. May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Paralympian Ezra Frech commits to USC Track and Field". Annenberg Media. February 6, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "Ezra Frech - Team USA". United States Olympic Committee. May 28, 2020. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020.
- ^ "Ezra Frech '23 Brings Home Two Silver Medals From Peru". angelcitysports.org. October 3, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Paris 2023 Para Athletics World Championships | Live Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "Team Ezra - My Story". Team Ezra. May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Angel City Sports". Angel City Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2024.