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Paralympian Ezra Frech dazzles fans on Dancing with the Stars
Disability rights advocate and Paralympian Ezra Frech is currently competing on Dancing with the Stars, and is quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Ezra Frech was born with several limb differences; he was missing most of his left leg and several fingers on his left hand.
Most of the remainder of his left leg was amputated when he was two; he has been using a prosthetic for most of his life.
Frech is a Paralympian who has won multiple medals in international competition, including the Paralympics, competing in track and field.
He is currently a contestant on Dancing with the Stars — an opportunity which he has used to continue his disability advocacy.
Ezra Frech was born in Los Angeles with several limb differences. He was missing several fingers on his left hand, and most of his left leg.
Frech began using a prosthetic leg before he turned one, and at two, the remainder of his leg was amputated. Yet he was never defined by his disability, competing in multiple sports throughout his childhood.
He eventually began to participate in track and field, where he excelled, and after watching the 2016 Paralympic Games at age 11, made that his goal.
Within just three years, he was competing internationally for Team USA, and made his Paralympics debut in 2020. He continued competing in para-athletics internationally, medalling each year in the World Championships, until the 2024 Paralympics came. There, Frech fulfilled his dream of not only competing in the Paralympics, but emerging as a champion. He earned gold medals in the men’s 100-meter T63 and high jump T63 events, and came in fifth in the long jump. His high jump also set a Paralympic record.
In addition to his own athletic career, he has remained dedicated to providing access to adaptive sports for others. He founded Angel City Sports, which provides free year-round adaptive sports opportunities for children, adults, and veterans with disabilities in Southern California, and hosts the Angel City Games — one of the largest adaptive sports events in the country. He also works as a public speaker and advocate.
As a current contestant on Dancing with the Stars, Frech is competing with dance pro Daniella Karagach. He scored one of the highest scores to date in the premiere, in which he danced an Argentine tango.
Present in the audience was Amy Purdy, a double amputee and Paralympian who likewise competed on Dancing with the Stars; Frech spoke about seeing her perform on the show when he was younger.
Purdy wrote on Instagram:
When I was asked to do DWTS in 2014, as a double leg amputee, I had no idea what was possible. Seeing someone like me on TV showing the possibilities was rare. Ezra watched me on the show and now here we are… I’m sitting in the ballroom watching HIM.
That’s the power of representation. Sometimes seeing someone else do something doesn’t just inspire you it expands what you believe is possible for your own life. And now Ezra gets to do that for someone else. Full circle.
After completing his dance, Frech spoke about the experience of dancing with limb differences.
"It was intimidating, honestly, leading with a left hand that's missing fingers, a left leg that's not there... we met so many challenges, but we kept at it," he said. "We kept working. And that first section, we're only connected with my left hand and leading with my left side. And so we wanted to lean into the disability as much as possible."
He also spoke on Instagram about the experience, writing that it "[m]eans the world to get to represent the disabled community on such a powerful stage like @dancingwiththestars."
Disability makes someone different, but not inferior or incapable. Ezra Frech and other disabled athletes like him are a perfect example of this.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
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·Paralympian Ezra Frech dazzles fans on Dancing with the Stars
Disability rights advocate and Paralympian Ezra Frech is currently competing on Dancing with the Stars, and is quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Ezra Frech was born with several limb differences; he was missing most of his left leg and several fingers on his left hand.
Most of the remainder of his left leg was amputated when he was two; he has been using a prosthetic for most of his life.
Frech is a Paralympian who has won multiple medals in international competition, including the Paralympics, competing in track and field.
He is currently a contestant on Dancing with the Stars — an opportunity which he has used to continue his disability advocacy.
Ezra Frech was born in Los Angeles with several limb differences. He was missing several fingers on his left hand, and most of his left leg.
Frech began using a prosthetic leg before he turned one, and at two, the remainder of his leg was amputated. Yet he was never defined by his disability, competing in multiple sports throughout his childhood.
He eventually began to participate in track and field, where he excelled, and after watching the 2016 Paralympic Games at age 11, made that his goal.
Within just three years, he was competing internationally for Team USA, and made his Paralympics debut in 2020. He continued competing in para-athletics internationally, medalling each year in the World Championships, until the 2024 Paralympics came. There, Frech fulfilled his dream of not only competing in the Paralympics, but emerging as a champion. He earned gold medals in the men’s 100-meter T63 and high jump T63 events, and came in fifth in the long jump. His high jump also set a Paralympic record.
In addition to his own athletic career, he has remained dedicated to providing access to adaptive sports for others. He founded Angel City Sports, which provides free year-round adaptive sports opportunities for children, adults, and veterans with disabilities in Southern California, and hosts the Angel City Games — one of the largest adaptive sports events in the country. He also works as a public speaker and advocate.
As a current contestant on Dancing with the Stars, Frech is competing with dance pro Daniella Karagach. He scored one of the highest scores to date in the premiere, in which he danced an Argentine tango.
Present in the audience was Amy Purdy, a double amputee and Paralympian who likewise competed on Dancing with the Stars; Frech spoke about seeing her perform on the show when he was younger.
Purdy wrote on Instagram:
When I was asked to do DWTS in 2014, as a double leg amputee, I had no idea what was possible. Seeing someone like me on TV showing the possibilities was rare. Ezra watched me on the show and now here we are… I’m sitting in the ballroom watching HIM.
That’s the power of representation. Sometimes seeing someone else do something doesn’t just inspire you it expands what you believe is possible for your own life. And now Ezra gets to do that for someone else. Full circle.
After completing his dance, Frech spoke about the experience of dancing with limb differences.
"It was intimidating, honestly, leading with a left hand that's missing fingers, a left leg that's not there... we met so many challenges, but we kept at it," he said. "We kept working. And that first section, we're only connected with my left hand and leading with my left side. And so we wanted to lean into the disability as much as possible."
He also spoke on Instagram about the experience, writing that it "[m]eans the world to get to represent the disabled community on such a powerful stage like @dancingwiththestars."
Disability makes someone different, but not inferior or incapable. Ezra Frech and other disabled athletes like him are a perfect example of this.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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