American Athlete Ezra Frech Wins Gold in Come-From-Behind ...

American track and field athlete Ezra Frech used his head to win the gold medal in the men’s 100m T63 at the Paralympics in Paris on Sept. 2.

The 19-year-old earned gold — marking his first medal won in any Paralympic event — with a breathtaking come-from-behind win, punctuated when he leaned his head forward at the finish line. He finished the event in 12.06 seconds, winning by two hundredths of a second over Denmark’s Daniel Wagner, who took second place. Brazil’s Vinicius Goncalves Rodrigues won the bronze medal.

Frech told NBC Sports after the race that he had planned on leaning at the finish line, but he didn't anticipate the final result.

“I crossed the line. I had no idea, looked up, saw my name first. Not what I was expecting, but, damn, am I hyped,” he said.

Frech came out of the box slowly, but pushed himself and picked up the speed as the race progressed. After the event ended, it wasn’t immediately clear who had won, but soon it was confirmed that Frech had indeed taken the gold.

“The whole time I was telling myself to stay relaxed,” he told NBC Sports about his mindset during the race. “Stay relaxed, stay relaxed. Big moments, everybody tenses up. If I stay relaxed, I can do something special. And thank God I did.”

Frech has a prosthetic on his left leg after he was born with congenital limb differences that prompted him to have his leg amputated when he was 3.

Frech, who will compete in the high jump on Sept. 3, also said the reality of his win hadn’t immediately sunk in.

“I can’t even process this right now. I got high jump tomorrow. Everybody make sure to tune in then. Back-to-back golds. I mean, I’m just in shock. This is crazy,” he said.

Frech could be poised to add to his trophy case as he prepares for the high jump: He is the world record holder and 2023 world champion in that event.