Liam Phillips

Liam Peter Phillips (born 11 March 1989) is a BMX racing cyclist representing Great Britain. In 2013 he won the UCI BMX World Championships,[1] his first.

Liam Phillips
Phillips at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameLiam Peter Phillips
Born (1989-03-11) 11 March 1989
Taunton, England
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight86 kg (190 lb; 13.5 st)
Team information
Current team United Kingdom
DisciplineBicycle Motocross (BMX)
RoleRacer
Rider typeOff Road
Amateur team
–GT, Crupi
Major wins
UCI BMX World Championships (2013)
European Championship (1999)

Having been cycling from the age of 5, he took up competitive BMX whilst a junior and won ten consecutive British titles. He won his first European title in 1999, and represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics, at the 2012 Summer Olympics (despite having broken his collarbone shortly before) and at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Born at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, he was raised in Burnham-on-Sea and attended The King Alfred School.[2][3] He began cycling at the age of five years, and often raced his sister.[4] Both of his parents were involved in BMX with his father being a former national coach, and helped to found the local BMX club in Burnham.[5]

Cycling career

Between the ages of five and fourteen, he was the winner of ten consecutive British BMX titles.[4] In 1999 he won the European BMX Championship for the first time, and joined the Olympic Academy Programme in 2005.[6] In 2008 he was selected for the British team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China as a competitor in the men's BMX.[7] It was the first time the sport had been featured in an Olympic Games as an official sport; Phillips placed seventh in the second heat and was eliminated from the competition.[8]

He was injured at the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships in South Africa, damaging his shoulder during the second moto.[5] In early 2011 he began training with the British track cycling team,[9] eventually being considered as one of the members of the squad's men's sprint team.[7] He decided to make the switch from BMX due to the reduced chance of injury in track racing.[9] During this period he was a member of the sprint team that placed third at the British National Team Sprint Championships in September 2011. However, it was announced in October 2011 that he had decided to return to BMX, which resulted in the media considering him to be one of the best prospects to represent Great Britain in the men's BMX at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[7]

Having taken the silver medal in the time trial at the 2012 UCI BMX World Championships held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, the following day Philips broke his collarbone during the morning's Moto 1 race.[10] This resulted in him requiring surgery to insert a metal plate, and put his selection for the 2012 Games in doubt.[10] However, he was chosen for the British team despite the injury and was still aiming for a win at the Olympics,[9] saying "The goal is gold, without a doubt. I'm training not to be a medal winner but to be Olympic champion."[2]

In 2014 Phillips became the first British male rider to win the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup,[11] becoming the first rider to win two back-to-back BMX World Cup titles when he took a second series win in 2015.[12]

Personal life

He lives in Manchester, close to the National Indoor BMX Arena.[3] He likes to play golf in his spare time.[2]

References
  1. "Phillips crowned BMX world champion". Britishcycling.org.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  2. "Liam Phillips". The Guardian. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  3. "Broken collarbone blow for BMX star Liam Phillips ahead of 2012 Olympic Games". Western Daily Press. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  4. "Liam Phillips". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  5. "Liam Phillips". Octagon. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  6. "Liam Phillips". British Cycling. May 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  7. Wynn, Nigel (25 October 2011). "Phillips returns to BMX after track experiment". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  8. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Liam Phillips". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  9. Williams, Ollie (20 June 2012). "London 2012: Liam Phillips wants Olympic medal despite crash". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  10. Shea, Julian (28 May 2012). "BMX star Liam Phillips's Olympic hopes in doubt after collarbone break". Metro. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  11. "2014 BMX Supercross: Liam Phillips is first Briton to win title". BBC. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  12. Hobro, Scott (27 September 2015). "Liam Phillips Claims Historic Second UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Title". British Cycling. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
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