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. This resulted in him requiring surgery to insert a metal plate, and put his selection for the 2012 Games in doubt. However, he was chosen for the British team despite the injury and was still aiming for a win at the Olympics, saying "The goal is gold, without a doubt. I'm training not to be a medal winner but to be Olympic champion."