Paralympic Champion Ezra Frech Joins Dancing with the Stars
The T63 sprinter and high jumper is one of two medal-winning athletes in a season 35 cast unveiled on Good Morning America.
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A First for the Ballroom
Para track and field athlete Ezra Frech will compete on the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars," the ABC celebrity dance competition, alongside figure skater Amber Glenn.
Yahoo Sports reports that the pairing marks the first time in the show's history that an Olympic gold medalist and a Paralympic gold medalist will compete in the same season.
Frech, a Los Angeles native, won gold in the T63 100 metres and the high jump at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. According to Yahoo Sports, he is bidding for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Paralympians on the Show
Frech is the first Paralympian to appear on the programme since Alpine skier Danelle Umstead in 2018, Yahoo Sports reports.
He is only the second Summer Paralympian and Paralympic gold medalist to take part, after swimmer Victoria Arlen in 2017.
At least one Olympian has competed in most seasons dating back to the show's 2005 debut. Glenn, a 26 year old from Plano, Texas, won team event gold and placed fifth individually at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
Season 35 Details
Season 35 will open with a two night premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, streaming the next day on Hulu.
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as hosts. The judging panel is Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
Other announced names include actress Julia Stiles, dancer and actress Jenna Dewan, "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" actress Tatyana Ali, Hanson singer Taylor Hanson, Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson, "The Traitors" star Maura Higgins and "Summer House" star Ciara Miller.
Open Questions
The sources do not name Frech's professional dance partner, and do not say how the show's schedule will affect his own training or competition plans.
Yahoo Sports notes that in recent years the series has run until late November or early December for contestants who reach the final four. Glenn, who is entered in two Grand Prix events in November, has not announced how the show will affect her skating schedule.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, Disney+ and Hulu.
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