Freshman Ezra Frech has had an incredible year. After becoming the first above-the-knee amputee to commit to USC in February, he went on to compete in the Paralympics this past summer. Frech is a T63 athlete – a classification for athletes with a single leg above the knee amputation and run with a prosthesis – who competes in high jump, long jump and 100 meter.
Before shining as a Paralympian, Frech’s career started with his first meet in 2013 where he broke several national youth records. His career expanded to the international stage with the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, winning a gold and a pair of bronze medals. In 2021, Frech made his Paralympic debut at the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Ahead of this year’s games, Ezra had a 100-day countdown going on to mark the day that he would win Paralympic gold in the high jump. On August 31, Frech competed in the first of three events – long jump – and finished fifth.
Going into the 100m on Monday, Frech told himself he was using it as a shake out in preparation for the high jump final on Tuesday. His shake out race would become the race that would give him his first gold medal.
A little over 24 hours later, he competed in the high jump. Frech won gold and set a new Paralympic record for T63 athletes. Winning back-to-back gold medals completed days 99 and 100 of Ezra’s 100-day countdown.
Life after the Paralympics is very different. Frech went from no school and training every day to being a full-time student-athlete at USC. In many interviews since winning two golds, Ezra talked about having to email his professors and apologize for missing the first few weeks of class. After being a USC student for over a month now, the adjustment has been great.
“I’m developing a great group of friends,” Frech said. “I have amazing people around me. I think it’s kinda cool to just be a normal college student.”
Frech credited part of his success in Paris to the community around him. In the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, he was only allowed to bring his father. This was the case because Ezra was a minor and needed a guardian. In Paris, he had over 70 family and friends in the crowd to support him. One of the most important people was his coach, Roderick Townsend. Townsend is a fellow Paralympian who also competes in high jump and long jump.
“Today you are competing for your seven-year-old self and 70-year-old self,” Townsend told Frech before competing in the high jump. “Make them both proud.”
Frech already has his eyes set on competing in his home city of Los Angeles in the 2028 Paralympics. The track and field events will be held at the home of USC football games, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Frech looks forward to accomplishing what he deems as the triple crown: gold in long jump, high jump and 100 meter.
In the meantime, Ezra will be competing in all three events for USC.