Biography of Ezra Frech

Ezra Frech was born with congenital limb differences, missing his left fibula (shin bone) and left knee, and with only one finger on his left hand.  At about three years of age he had surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital to remove the lower leg and transplant the big toe onto his left hand.  This surgery gave him a residual limb that fit prosthesis much better, and allowed him to pick up and hold things with his left hand. 

From a young age, Ezra demonstrated a deep love for sport. His first word was “ball” and he learned to count by twos before ones by watching Laker games.  He has always shown incredible athletic talent and a fierce competitive spirit.  As a toddler he designed his own workouts and throughout his youth he played basketball, soccer, baseball, flag football, and karate against his able-bodied peers. 

His first love was definitely basketball, which he excelled at and ultimately playing on a club team using his running blade.

"My short-term goal is to go back to back and win gold at the Paralympics in my hometown, Los Angeles." - Ezra

His journey in Paralympic sport began early. Ezra competed in his first track and field meet at just eight years old, made Team USA at fourteen, and competed at his first Paralympic Games in Tokyo at sixteen. Before joining the senior national team, he was already one of the most accomplished youth Para athletes in the country, setting dozens of national records across the many events his father, Clayton, would sign him up for.

In 2019, Ezra officially joined the U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Team and immediately began competing on the international stage. That year, he won two gold medals and a bronze at the World Para Athletics Junior Championships, earned two silver medals at the Parapan American Games, and reached the finals in all three of his events at the World Para Athletics Championships.

The postponement of the Tokyo Paralympic Games gave Ezra an additional year to train, and he arrived in Japan at sixteen years old with one goal: win a medal. He came painfully close, finishing fifth in the T63 high jump after missing the podium by just three centimeters, while also placing eighth in the long jump. Watching the medalists celebrate with their flags became one of the defining moments of his career. Ezra kept a photo of the three high jump medalists as the screen saver on his phone, using it as a daily reminder of what he was chasing.

That disappointment became fuel. In 2023, Ezra won his first senior world title at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, clearing 1.95 meters to set a T63 world record at the time. He also finished fourth in the long jump. One year later, ahead of the Paris Paralympic Games, he pushed the T63 world record even higher to 1.97 meters.

At the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Ezra again found himself tested. He finished second in the high jump and fourth in the long jump. For an athlete who had built his identity around becoming the best in the world, losing his world title was another difficult moment — and another one he carried directly into Paris.

At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, everything came together. Competing at just nineteen years old, Ezra delivered the breakthrough he had been working toward for more than a decade. First, he stunned the field by winning gold in the men’s 100m T63 — an event in which he was not considered the favorite. Less than 24 hours later, he returned to Stade de France and won the event he had spent years dreaming about: the T63 high jump. His winning clearance of 1.94 meters set a Paralympic record. He also finished fifth in the long jump. Ezra left Paris as a two-time Paralympic gold medalist.

The moment was especially meaningful because of everything that came before it. The sixteen-year-old who had once sat in Tokyo watching other athletes celebrate was now the athlete carrying the American flag around Stade de France. Ezra has described the years leading into Paris as an obsession with becoming Paralympic champion — writing the words down every morning and every night until the goal became part of his daily life.

His journey did not stop in Paris. In 2025, Ezra returned to the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi and earned another silver medal in the T63 high jump, adding to a résumé that already includes two Paralympic gold medals, a world championship, multiple world records and more than a decade representing the growth of the Paralympic movement.

Now, with Los Angeles 2028 ahead, Ezra’s next chapter is uniquely personal. He will have the opportunity to compete for Team USA at a Paralympic Games in his hometown, in front of the community that watched his journey begin. For Ezra, LA28 represents more than another Games — it is an opportunity to defend his titles, continue pushing the limits of Para athletics, and help bring Paralympic sport to a larger audience than ever before.

To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@teamezra.com

Realizing that opportunities to compete in a truly adaptive collegiate track program were extremely limited, Ezra set his sights on earning a Division I track opportunity while still in high school. He ultimately received an offer to compete at USC, where he spent one year balancing college athletics with his growing international career.

After that first year, Ezra made the decision to leave USC and compete professionally, signing with adidas as he turned his full focus toward becoming one of the best Para athletes in the world. That decision paid off in Paris, where he won two Paralympic gold medals.

Now competing professionally, Ezra continues to train at the highest level with his sights set on defending his titles and representing Team USA at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.

Beyond sports, Ezra is a passionate advocate for disability inclusion and access. He co-founded Angel City Sports to help create more opportunities for people with physical disabilities to participate in adaptive sports. As Ezra has said, “My goal is to normalize disability on a global scale, show the world that nothing is impossible as an amputee, and inspire everyone to chase their dreams with everything they have.” He continues to use his platform to grow the Paralympic movement, support Angel City Sports, and help bring greater visibility, sponsorship, and resources to the adaptive sports community. Ezra has also supported organizations including Camp No Limits, Challenged Athletes Foundation, LA84 Foundation, United Through Sports, and LA28.

Ezra also stars in and serves as a producer on ADAPTIVE, a documentary series following four Paralympic athletes — Ezra Frech, Jamal Hill, Courtney Ryan, and Josie Aslakson — on their journey from the Tokyo Paralympic Games to Paris 2024. Season 1, ADAPTIVE: Paris, has now been completed and released, bringing the athletes’ stories and the broader Paralympic movement to a global audience.

Following the completion of Season 1, the team is now in pre-production on ADAPTIVE Season 2, which will continue the story on the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. With LA28 taking place in Ezra’s hometown, the next chapter will follow the athletes as they prepare for what is expected to be one of the most significant moments in the history of the Paralympic movement in the United States.

For partnership, sponsorship, or documentary inquiries, please contact Clayton Frech at info@teamezra.com

Another way that Ezra advocates for the disabled community is through motivational speaking.   Since he was 4 years old, Ezra has done motivational speaking at schools, hospitals, companies, and leadership conferences, bringing his message that “Being Different is OK”.  Ezra’s motto is “You can Dream it, You can Hope for it, or You can Make It Happen.”  and he believes you should “Focus on What You Have Versus What You Don’t Have.” 

He has spoken at Nike, PayPal, LA2028, Paris2024, YPO, Golden State Warriors, Bernstein Wealth Management, and many others.

To book Ezra for a speaking engagement please contact info@teamezra.com 

Ezra has been featured in Teen Vogue and has modeled numerous times for Team USA. However, in the Spring of 2023, Ezra made his runway debut at Boss’ Miami Fashion Show.  He has also been featured in The Glass Magazine, Numero Netherlands and Schon magazines. In the fall of 2023, Ezra returned to the Boss runway for their Milan Fashion Show, and was featured in two Boss Campaigns. 

In January 2024, Ezra returned to Paris, the site of his first World Championship, for Fashion Week and attended over a dozen shows, showcases, and private events with the world’s top designers and luxury brands. In the summer of 2024 he signed with Hugo Boss. 

To book Ezra for modeling, please contact UTA 

Ezra is currently competing on Dancing with the Stars, bringing his story, personality, and athleticism to one of the biggest entertainment stages in the country. His appearance marks a major new chapter in a public journey that has spanned nearly his entire life — from elite Paralympic competition to advocacy, television, and mainstream entertainment.

Ezra has been featured in the media since his first appearance on Good Morning America in 2009, when he was just four years old. In 2014, at age nine, he was named a finalist for Sports Illustrated Kids Sportskid of the Year. Since then, he has appeared across dozens of international, national, and regional media outlets, using each platform to share his story, grow awareness of Paralympic sport, and help reshape how disability is represented in mainstream culture.

His television and media appearances include the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Kelly Clarkson Show, NBC Sports, Sports Illustrated, Sports Business Journal, Forbes Magazine, and Good Morning America, among many others.

Now, through Dancing with the Stars, Ezra is introducing himself to an entirely new audience — not only as a Paralympic champion and disability advocate, but as an entertainer, competitor, and personality with a platform that continues to grow far beyond sport. Make sure to vote Team Footloose!!