Athlete Interview: Banghao Li
The knee is one of the major injury sites for athletes of any sport. Banghao Li, a varsity cross-country runner and a junior at Arcadia High School, is a victim of chondromalacia patella. He developed this injury during the 2023-2024 cross-country season due to his intense training regimen. Let’s take a look at what he had to say in the interview —
How did you develop this injury? Was it instantaneous or did it develop over time?
“Yeah so I developed the injury over time, it wasn’t really a one-time thing. Unfortunately, what happened was our old coach, Harjinder Singh, had to leave due to unfortunate circumstances and so a new coach had to step in: [Mr. Orozco]. I think that’s where the main problem started because I switched into [an] intense training [program] within a span of two weeks and my body wasn’t able to handle it, but I kept on pushing which eventually led me to develop chondromalacia patella”
What were your initial thoughts when you first had the injury?
“I really thought it was over for me. I’m a runner so the knees are very very important and somehow that's the region I injured. I was really scared because even a small injury can change how you train, how often you train, and how hard you push in races. This was no small injury either so I thought my running career was over. Thank god that wasn’t the case”
How was rehab? What were some specific techniques you used to heal?
“The rehab itself wasn’t that bad due to our good athletic trainers, Jack and Matt. The PT (Physical Therapist) told me I couldn't really do anything about it because I was still running and the methods of rehab wouldn't work well if I kept on training, but there were some things that I could do to adjust such as running on a softer surface to decrease impact such as the track or grass. I also began to roll areas around the knee as instructed.”
In all the craziness, how was your mental health? How did you deal with it?
“I’ll be honest, it kinda killed my mental health. I love running, I really do, so anything that hinders it ruins my mental state. Since I was limited to running on the track only, it was kind of a mess. The track is really boring because I’m used to running in parks and on the sidewalk where the view constantly changes. The track just felt like one endless boring cycle. I think the way I dealt with it was, I kind of didn’t. I just knew that the second I was healed, I’d get out of the track and I’d be happy again. And it worked out that way in the end.”
Banghao eventually healed and is now running full-time at full effort once again. He is currently prepping for his track season, hoping to get a PR (personal best) in the 800-meter, 1600-meter, and 3200-meter races.
