Nineteen-year-old Los Angeles sprinter Ezra Frech stormed back from a slow start Monday to edge out the competition in a photo finish and claim a dramatic gold medal win in the 100-meter final at the Paris Paralympics.
Frech, a USC commit from Los Angeles, set a personal best of 12.06 seconds, crossing the line in the 100m T63 just .02 seconds ahead of Denmark’s Daniel Wagner. Frech earned the first gold medal of his career on the fourth day of the 2024 Paralympics.
Ezra Frech TAKES GOLD in the men’s 100m T63! 🇺🇸
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) September 2, 2024
📺 USA Network and Peacock | #ParisParalympics pic.twitter.com/93h7scFUVy
"I’m quite shocked," Frech said. "I'm still taking it in right now. I was definitely not expecting to go out there and win. I knew I could, but I have high jump tomorrow and that’s where my focus has been. I was treating this as a warm-up for high jump, to get the blood flowing and have a good race, then come back tomorrow and win high jump."
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In his second Paralympics, Frech will compete Tuesday night in the high jump. He is the event's world record holder and 2023 world champion.
American Desmond Jackson, of North Carolina, finished seventh in 100m final with a time of 12.49. The top five finishers were separated by just .1 seconds.
Frech found himself near the tail of the field out of the starting blocks, but steadily worked his way back to the leaders with a lean at the line in a finish that was initially too close to call. After a brief wait, Frech celebrated the stunning victory on the track .
Frech competes with a prosthetic on his left leg. He was born with congenital limb differences that led to the amputation of his left leg when he was 3.
Over the weekend, Frech finished fifth in the long jump.
"This is a special opportunity for Paralympic sport," Frech said. "What this Games is doing for the movement is unlike anything I’ve ever seen – the energy, the atmosphere reminds me of London 2012. I look forward to riding this momentum into LA (Los Angeles 2028 Games), but right now I’m happy to have gold. I’m still not satisfied, though - I’m hungry to get gold in the high jump."
