Liam Phillips will line up for his third Olympic Games on Wednesday, after a string of successes on the international BMX circuit.

The 27-year-old will be one of only a handful of riders who have competed at every Olympic BMX event to date, when he takes to the track on 17 August.

“BMX has been included in the Olympic Games since Beijing and I’ve been lucky enough to compete in both Beijing and London,” he said.

“For me it’s a childhood dream; I never thought BMX would even be part of the Olympics, let alone be able to compete.

“So it’s still quite surreal and something that I’ll look back on in years to come with a huge amount of pride and fondness.”

Phillips admitted that an Olympic medal would mean a great deal to him, after his crash in the final of the supercross at London 2012.

“It’s a culmination of years and years of work,” he said.

“BMX is somewhat of a lottery, so things need to go your way and you need to have a little bit of luck.

“For me I’m just preparing to go there and ride the best I can and I feel if I perform as well as I have done over the past few years then I’ll have given myself the best chance possible.

“If I was to come home with an Olympic gold medal then that would be pretty special.”

As in 2012 when the British number one has shoulder surgery 10 weeks out from the opening Olympic race, Phillips is once again recovering from a collar bone injury.

Just like four years ago, he insists that despite the setback, he is confident in his form.

“I started off the season really strongly in Manchester but I didn’t have a very good outing in Papendal or the world champs,” he said.

“I’ve been really consistent over the last few years so I was disappointed with both those performances.

“But if anything it’s put some petrol on my fire and made me hungrier and even more determined going into that Olympics.

“In some respects I feel like I don’t have anything to lose now; last year I was super consistent and I think it would have been very different position to be in going into the Olympics having had that success.

“I’m riding my bike really well, I’m in great physical shape and I’m looking forward to going out there and racing, which is what I enjoy, lining up against the best guys in the world and trying to win.”

Now an elder statesman of the Great Britain Cycling Team, Phillips is relishing his emerging role as a leader within the squad.

“I think being a leader within the team part of my character naturally; if I feel a certain way about something I think it’s important to stand up and allow my voice to be heard,” he said.

“Having been to two previous Olympics, I haven’t won a medal but I’ve gained that experience and I do feel now that it’s part of my responsibility to try and pass on any information I have to younger members of the team.

The much-maligned Olympic BMX track in Rio has undergone modifications, following complaints from many riders and coaches.

“The track in Rio has been talked about a lot, more than any other track, for good reason I think as there were certainly parts of the track that were not good for us, as athletes and as a sport,” said Phillips.

“But that’s been changed and I think it’s now a really good race track.

“What we want, ultimately, is to line up with the other competitors and be able to showcase our sport and see the best person win.

“It’s going to be challenging, it’s big, and it’s wide open.

“I really like the way the hill and the first track sit so I’m confident in the preparation that I’ve done, we had a few days there earlier in the year, and I feel prepared to go there and race my best.”

The two-time Olympian is hopeful that the momentum that London 2012 brought to cycling uptake in the UK will continue to grow after Rio.

“I think it’s going to be really difficult to try and emulate the response that we had as a cycling nation to London 2012,” he said,

“Post-London was absolutely superb; if we have even 10% of that from an away Games happen again post-Rio, it’ll be a massive achievement.

“I think that we’ve all been taken aback by how the whole nation has turned to cycling and how they love it.

“We can only go out there and do our job and hope to inspire the next generation.”

Liam and team mate Kyle start their Olympic campaign from 5.30pm tonight.