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]
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 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
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.
