Ezra Frech

An accomplished athlete and motivational speaker, Ezra Frech was born with congenital limb differences, missing his left knee and left shin bone, and with only one finger on his left hand. Now 17 years-old, Frech has used a prosthetic leg since he was 11 months and a running blade since he was 4 years old.

In 2016, Frech, then 11, was inspired by watching the Rio Paralympic Games and expressed his ambition to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, beginning his training immediately. By June 2019, Frech joined the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team at age 14 and competed in three international events: the Junior World Para-Athletics Championships where he won three medals, the Para-Pan American Games where he secured two silver medals, and the World Para-Athletics Championships, placing in the top 8 in all three events as the youngest athlete among 1,400 competitors.

Frech continued his rigorous training and, in the spring of 2021, excelled at the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Trials by becoming the T63 National Champion in the 100M and Long Jump, setting an Americas record in the long jump, and qualifying for Tokyo in the high jump with a mark of 1.8 meters. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, he competed in the T63 Long Jump and T63 High Jump, finishing 8th and 5th respectively, and won a Paralympic Gold Medal in the 100-meter race at the Paris Games.

Frech has been featured on numerous media outlets including "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "Good Morning America," "The Kelly Clarkson Show," and NBC News, where he shares his experiences and promotes understanding for individuals with physical challenges. Since the age of 4, he has been a motivational speaker, engaging with audiences at schools, hospitals, companies, and leadership conferences, emphasizing that “Being Different is OK.” His mottos, “You can Dream it, You can Hope for it, or You can Make It Happen,” and “Focus on What You Have Versus What You Don’t Have,” encapsulate his positive outlook.

Frech is the inspiration behind and co-founder of Angel City Sports, an impactful non-profit organization dedicated to providing the joy of sports to children and adults with physical disabilities. Additionally, he has committed to a Division-I track and field program at USC, marking him as the first above-the-knee amputee to do so. His contributions to sports and advocacy continue to foster a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities.