| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1 June 2005 Los Angeles, California, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Paralympic athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | T63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Events | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ezra Frech (born 11 May 2005) is an American Paralympic athlete who competes in high jump, long jump and sprinting events in international level events. He is a double silver Parapan American Games medalist and is also a motivational speaker and disability rights advocate. [1]
Frech is the eldest of three sons of an Iranian immigrant mother and Californian father. He was born without most of his left leg (missing a knee and fibula) and missing fingers on his left hand. When he was two 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. [2] He received a prosthetic leg when he was eleven months old. [3] [4]
He was a 2014 finalist for Sports Illustrated Sportkid of the Year.
In 2006, Frech and his family founded Team Ezra to provide financial resources to organizations that serve people with physical disabilities. And in 2013, Frech and his father, Clayton Frech, founded Angel City Sports to provide free, year-round access to sport training, equipment, and competitive opportunities for kids and adults with physical disabilities. Angel City Sports is one of the fastest growing adaptive sports programs in the country and hosts one of the largest events in the country, the Angel City Games presented by The Hartford.
He is also a motivational speaker and started speaking to schools at the age of four to raise awareness for people with impairments as part of his organisation's project. [5]
Frech has played basketball, baseball, soccer and karate before focusing on track and field athletics in 2013. His first athletics meet was the Endeavor Games in Edmond, Oklahoma. In Oklahoma as an 8 year old Frech broke a few national youth records and was inspired to continue in T&F. His father was also inspired at the Endeavor Games with a vision to create a similar event in Los Angeles, to be named the Angel City Games (and ultimately sponsored by The Hartford).
His first international meet was at the 2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championships where he won one gold and two bronze medals, he participated in his second international meet at the 2019 Parapan American Games where he won two silver medals, he also took part in the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai but did not medal. He was, however, the youngest athlete in the world to compete at the 2019 World Championships and made the finals in all three of his events. [6] [7]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics Frech ranked 5th in the high jump event with a personal best of 1.80 m and 8th in the long jump event with 5.85 m.
At Paris 2023 Para Athletics World Championship, he won the gold medal in High Jump T63 and set a new world record at 1.95m.
Evan George O'Hanlon, is an Australian Paralympic athlete, who competes mainly in category T38 sprint events. He has won five gold medals at two Paralympic Games – 2008 Beijing and 2012 London. He also represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, winning a silver medal and a bronze medal respectively. In winning the bronze medal in the Men's 100m T38 at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, O'Hanlon became Australia's most successful male athlete with a disability. His bronze medal took him to 12 medals in five world championships – one more than four-time Paralympian Neil Fuller.
Jerome Singleton is a Paralympic athlete from the United States competing mainly in category T44 sprint events. Because he had no fibula in his right calf, his leg was amputated below the knee when he was 18 months old.
Elexis LaVelle "Lex" Gillette is a blind Paralympic athlete from Raleigh, North Carolina in the United States competing in T11 (track) and F11 (field) events for the United States.
Stephanie Schweitzer is an Australian athletics competitor. She was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in athletics but did not medal.
Guy Nicholas Henly is an Australian Paralympic athlete. He currently competes in discus and shot put and has won medals at the 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 World Para Athletics Championships and 2023 World Para Athletics Championships. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Brayden Duane Davidson is an Australian track and field para-athlete who competes mainly in the T36 classification events. He won a bronze medal at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, he won the gold medal in the Men's Long Jump T36.
Timothy Hodge is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. He represented Australia at the 2016 and the 2020 Summer Paralympics, where he won two silver and one bronze medals.
Vanessa Low is a German-born Australian Paralympic athlete competing in T42 sprint and long jump events. Born in East Germany, she gained Australian nationality in June 2017.
Varun Singh Bhati is a para high jumper from India. He was afflicted by poliomyelitis at a young age, and joined sports during his school days. He has won several medals in international events including bronze at 2016 Summer Paralympic Games and 2017 World Para Athletics Championships.
Michał Derus is a Polish track and field athlete, competing in the T47 disability classification for athletes with an impairment to a lower arm.
Taylor Doyle is an Australian Paralympic athlete with an intellectual and physical disability. She was selected to represent Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in athletics.
Sarah Walsh is an Australian Paralympic amputee athlete. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in athletics.
Martha Sandoval Gustafson is a Mexican-Canadian Paralympic medallist in table tennis, swimming, and athletics. As a Mexican Paralympian, Gustafson won a total of twelve medals, which includes three golds at the 1976 Summer Paralympics and two golds and the 1980 Summer Paralympics. After she moved to Canada in 1981, Gustafson won six golds and one silver at the 1984 Summer Paralympics for Canada. In 2020, Gustafson became part of the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame.
Shelley Gautier is a Canadian multi-medalist in para-cycling. At the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships from 2010 to 2022, Gautier has won 16 golds as part of her 19 medals. At the Parapan American Games, Gautier won a silver at the mixed road time trial event held at the 2011 Parapan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games. As a Paralympic competitor, Gautier won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the women's time trial event. Apart from para-cycling, Gautier competed in disabled sailing. Gautier was inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 2003 and nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability in 2015.
The 2018 World Para Athletics European Championships was a track and field competition for athletes with a disability open to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) affiliated countries within Europe, plus Azerbaijan and Israel. It was held in Berlin, Germany and took place between 20 and 26 August 2018 at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. 596 athletes from 35 countries competed during the championships.
Ntando Mahlangu is a South African Paralympic athlete. He won the gold medal in both the men's long jump T63 and men's 200 metres T61 events at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Uzbekistan competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August to 5 September 2021.
Mateus Evangelista Cardoso is a Brazilian Paralympic athlete with cerebral palsy. He competes in several T37-classification athletics events. He represented Brazil at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and he won the silver medal in the men's long jump T37 event. In 2021, he won one the bronze medal in the same event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
Mauricio Valencia is a Colombian Paralympic athlete with cerebral palsy. He represented Colombia at the Summer Paralympics in 2012, 2016 and 2021. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, he won two medals: the gold medal in the men's javelin throw F34 event and the bronze medal in the men's shot put F34 event. In 2021, he won the silver medal in the men's javelin throw F34 event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
Tobi Fawehinmi is an American Paralympic athlete competing in long jump and triple jump events. He is a gold medalist at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships held in London, United Kingdom and the 2019 Parapan American Games held in Lima, Peru. He also represented the United States at the Summer Paralympics in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
