Ezra Frech
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| Born | May 11, 2005 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-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 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.[1]
Early life
[edit]Frech was born in Los Angeles, California, to mother Bahar Soomekh, an actress born in Iran and raised in Los Angeles, and father 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.[2][3] 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]
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.[5]
Career
[edit]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. 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 for Sports Illustrated Sportkid of the Year.[6]
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.[7][8]
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).[9] He also competed in the men's long jump T63 event.[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.
Frech broke his own world record in high jump T63 at the 2024 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 U.S. record with a jump of 7.05 m (23 ft 1+1⁄2 in).[12]
Frech competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, winning gold in the 100 meters T63[13] 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 ft 4+1⁄4 in).[14]
Philanthropy
[edit]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.[15]
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.[16] 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
[edit]International competitions
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | World Para Junior Championships[17] | Nottwil, Switzerland | 1st | High jump 15-16 | 5.075 m (16 ft 7+3⁄4 in) | — |
| 1st | Long jump 15-16 | — | ||||
| 3rd | 100 m 15-16 | 13.88 s | — | |||
| Parapan American Games[18] | Lima, Peru | 2nd | High jump T42-47/T63-64 | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | — | |
| 2nd | Long jump T63/T64 | 5.43 m (17 ft 9+3⁄4 in) | — | |||
| 7th | 100 m T64 | 13.82 s | — | |||
| World Para Championships[19] | Dubai, UAE | 7th | High jump T63 | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | — | |
| 8th | Long jump T63 | 5.45 m (17 ft 10+1⁄2 in) | — | |||
| 8th | 100 m T63 | 13.67 s | — | |||
| 2021 | Paralympic Games[19] | Tokyo, Japan | 5th | High jump T63 | 1.80 m (5 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | — |
| 8th | Long jump T63 | 5.85 m (19 ft 2+1⁄4 in) | — | |||
| 2023 | World Para Championships[19] | Paris, France | 1st | High jump T63 | 1.95 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | — |
| 4th | Long jump T63 | 6.64 m (21 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | — | |||
| 6th | 100 m T63 | 12.45 s | — | |||
| 2024 | World Para Championships[19] | Kobe, Japan | 2nd | High jump T63 | 1.85 m (6 ft 3⁄4 in) | — |
| 4th | Long jump T63 | 6.58 m (21 ft 7 in) | — | |||
| Paralympic Games[19] | Paris, France | 1st | High jump T63 | 1.80 m (5 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | WR PR NR PB | |
| 1st | 100 m T63 | 12.06 s | PB | |||
| 5th | Long jump T63 | 6.58 m (21 ft 7 in) | — |
National competitions
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | U.S. Paralympic Trials[20] | Miramar, Florida | 1st | High jump T63 | 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | — |
| 1st | Long jump T63 | 7.05 m (23 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | NR | |||
| 2nd | 100 m T63 | 12.26 s | — |
References
[edit]- ^ "Ezra Frech - IPC Athlete Bio". ipc.infostradasports.com. May 28, 2020.[dead link]
- ^ "Ezra Frech". Challenged Athletes Foundation. May 28, 2020.
- ^ "The Inspirational Story of 9-Year-Old Ezra Frech". Seeker. May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Bahar Soomekh". October 8, 2014.
- ^ "Paralympian Ezra Frech commits to USC Track and Field". Annenberg Media. February 6, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Ciampaglia, Dante A. (July 25, 2016). "2014 SportsKid of the Year Finalist Ezra Frech Makes Acting Debut!". SI Kids: Sports News for Kids, Kids Games and More. Retrieved September 3, 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.
- ^ "Results Book" (PDF). 2023 World Para Athletics Championships. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Gabriel. "Ezra Frech gets his gold in 100m, sees momentum of Paralympics ramping up". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Ezra Frech breaks Paralympic record en route to second gold in as many days in Paris | NBC Sports. NBC Sports. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Team Ezra - My Story". Team Ezra. May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Angel City Sports". Angel City Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championships 2019". MileSplit. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ "Ezra Frech - Parapan American Games 2019". IPC Service Centre. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "FRECH Ezra". Paris 2024 Paralympics. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ "2024 US Paralympics Trials". Half Mile Timing. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
External links
[edit]- 2005 births
- Living people
- American male long jumpers
- American male high jumpers
- American male sprinters
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic gold medalists for the United States
- Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
- American people of German descent
- American people of Iranian-Jewish descent
- Jewish American track and field athletes
- Medalists at the World Para Athletics Championships
- Medalists at the 2019 Parapan American Games
- Paralympic track and field athletes for the United States
- Track and field athletes from Los Angeles
- World Para Athletics Championships winners
- 21st-century American sportsmen