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Published:
August 20, 2008
Burnham-On-Sea
BMX cyclist reaches Olympic quarter-finals
Burnham-On-Sea
BMX cyclist Liam Phillips represented Great Britain at the Olympic
Games in Beijing during the early hours of this morning (Wednesday
August 20th).
 Liam,
19, competed in the seeding runs and made it through to the quarter
finals where he took part in a series of action-packed, thrilling
races.
He
did well to finish fifth in his first quarter final race and got
sixth spot in his second race.
But
he was dramatically hampered in a crash of cyclists in his third
quarter final race, and this led to him finishing seventh, ending
his hopes of progressing further - see
how the action unfolded here.
His
father Pete, who has travelled with him to China, was there to
cheer him on, while back here in the UK, his progress was eagerly
watched by his mum and girlfriend, who both watched the live TV
coverage with Liam's grandmother.
 Steve
Manaton, Burnhamn BMX Club Chairman, told Burnham-On-Sea.com:
"It's been a huge achievement for him to become the first
rider to go to the Olympic games."
"His
experience will have been a great stepping stone towards the 2012
Olympics. Everyone here is really proud of what he's done."
Liam
told Burnham-On-Sea.com in a video
interview earlier this month: "Any athlete that wants
to be at the top of their game knows that the Olympics is the
pinnacle of all sport so to me it's a dream come true."
Liam
began riding aged five on the BMX track in Burnham-On-Sea and
made his cycling debut for Great Britain at the 2005 European
Championships in France. His sister, Charley, also rides BMX bikes
and has competed at the British Championships.
Town
councillors in Burnham are planning an opendeck bus tour through
the town for him when he returns.
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