“My short-term goal is to win gold at the Paralympics in Paris.”

Speaking to Ezra Frech, you’d never guess the Paralympian is only 18 years old. His eloquence, confidence and composure are befitting of a veteran athlete, news anchor or actor. He is comfortable with the spotlight on him – having competed in the Tokyo Paralympics and walked the runway for Hugo Boss – and speaking to large crowds of people. But the young high jumper’s confident demeanor is born of struggle and perseverance.

Ezra was born with multiple physical disabilities. His left leg, missing a knee and fibula (shin bone), was curved up towards his waist, and he only had one finger on his left hand. By age three the non-functioning portion of his left leg was amputated and a toe was attached to his left hand. The surgery was pivotal for Ezra to be able to fit prosthetics better and hold items in his left hand.

As a child Ezra remembers being stared out, and having fingers pointed at him. He says he was bullied and notes he felt like “a zoo animal” when he was out in public. He admits he sulked in elementary school, but eventually developed thick skin and a tolerance for bullying and gawking eyes. The turning point for Ezra came when he realized that he couldn’t change his physical disability, accepting that, he decided to make the most out of life.

Just a year after getting his leg amputated a four-year old Ezra began giving motivational talks about his story and how to approach disability. He recalls speaking at schools and local events, and notes that his parents instilled in him a desire to give back to the disabled community. He is passionate about the disabled community and has met countless friends, mentors, and mentees over the years, with a wide range of disabilities. As he has gained life experience he has altered his messages to the public, but one thing has remained constant: he is eager to change perceptions, normalize disability and begin a conversation about inclusivity. He calls disability one of the final frontiers for the DEI movement.

Sports and strong parenting helped Frech own his disability. His mother instilled confidence in her son by telling him, “when you walk into any room, keep your chin up and chest out, like you own the room.” He further developed his confidence and composure through sports, which provided a welcoming environment where he was seen as an athlete as opposed to a person with a physical disability. Moreover, sports fueled his competitive fire, giving him a positive outlet and allowing him to develop strong friendships.

In time Frech began to see his disability as a blessing, realizing that it was something that made him unique. He admits he doesn’t know if he would be the person or athlete he is today, had he been born with fully functioning limbs. His disability, his mindset and his consistent training have allowed him to become a track and field Paralympian in multiple events, a disability advocate, a motivational speaker and a co-founder of Angel City Sports; a Los Angeles based non-profit organization “providing year-round adaptive sports opportunities for kids, adults and veterans with physical disabilities.”

Still, he says “living with a physical disability is not easy by any means.” Competing at the highest level, Ezra is putting his body through the ringer everyday. Along with typical bumps and bruises any athlete might suffer, Frech has to contend with blisters on his stump, the need to adjust to frequent prosthetic component and alignment changes, and the ever-constant concern of overtraining his sound side. He also notes that he competed in Tokyo on a sub-optimal prosthetic and has since spent a significant amount of time working with his team to optimize the design and performance of his sport prosthesis

Ezra is not only competing, he is raising awareness about the Paralympics. While the Olympics are widely recognized as the pinnacle of sports, Ezra sees that the average person does not quite understand what the Paralympics are – the highest level of competition in adaptive sports. He says he makes it a point to explain to people the level he is competing at, and is on a mission to elevate the Paralympics, much like Conor McGregor did for the UFC or Michael Phelps did for swimming.

Frech is also providing opportunity within the disabled community. One of his main missions is to show other people with physical disabilities that, despite often being told otherwise, sports participation can be a reality for them. Frech’s work is deeply rooted in the community and goes back to 2013 when he and his parents were traveling the country trying to find adaptive sports competitions. It was then that the Frech family decided to create Angel City Sport in Los Angeles. The non-profit has become one of the biggest adaptive sports organizations in the country offering sports like track and field, wheelchair football and basketball. It also hosts the annual Angel City Games, “one of the largest Paralympic-style events in the US.”

The work isn’t done yet. Angel City Sports is still growing, aiming to reach as many people as possible through sports. Ezra hopes it will become a place where elite and amateur athletes can come together to try new sports and compete. He says by the 2028 LA Olympic Games, Angel City Sports hopes to offer every single Paralympic sport. Currently, the organization is encouraging participation in sports by loaning out adaptive sports equipment to athletes and partner organizations.

At 18, Ezra has already accomplished far more than the average teenager, but he has no intention of slowing down. Off the track, he has partnered with 17 Sport to expand his impact on the adaptive sports community and further promote inclusivity in sports. On the track, he has his sights set on gold. He aims to win the high jump in Paris next year, and by 2028 he plans to win gold in the high jump, long jump and 100 meter dash, a trifecta which has never been accomplished. Some may see these goals as overly ambitious, but he is not afraid of failure, for him “failure is setting goals that are too limited.”

It’s no shock then that Frech doesn’t hesitate to say he wants to be remembered as one of the greatest athletes of all time and guarantees that he will be on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the coming years. But most importantly, Ezra says he wants to be remembered “as someone who drove the paralympic movement forward.” Before the age of 20 that is all but a guarantee.