With his victory in the men’s high jump at the Paralympics in Paris, American Ezra Frech completed an incredible golden double. He cleared a height of 1.94 metres, a new Paralympic record that came close to his own world record.
The 19-year-old won a thrilling gold medal in the men’s 100-metre T63 sprint, defeating Denmark’s Daniel Wagner by a mere 0.02 seconds after coming from behind in a photo finish.
Who is Ezra Frech?
Having congenital limb differences, Frech ran on his first blades at the age of four. At the age of eleven, he made a promise to his friends that he would travel to Tokyo 2020 after witnessing the Paralympics in Rio 2016.
The athlete recalled: “Everyone said I was crazy… It was statistically unlikely. I mean, an 11-year-old saying he’s gonna make the Games in four years is utterly ridiculous.”
He delivered on his promise, but he was unable to secure a medal, placing fifth in the T63 high jump in Tokyo. Frech said: “That is undoubtedly one of the most devastating moments of my entire life… It’s easy to fail in private. It’s hard to fail on the world stage where everyone sees it.”
After years of preparation, Frech shocked even himself by winning his first gold medal in the 100 metres after getting off to a poor start. Furthermore, he set a new Paralympic record in the high jump, where he currently holds the world record, clearing 1.94 metres, which is 14 centimetres higher than his 1.8-metre performance in Tokyo. He also won his second gold medal in the Paris Paralympics.
Following his victory, he declared: “I would trade in every medal, every world record, every national championship title if it meant I could normalize disability in the process… That’s what I’m about. I just know that those accolades are a step to reach that larger goal.”
Source: CNN