He was selected to represent Zambia at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Poland. Phiri won his heat in the 60 metres with a time of 6.59 seconds and was able to advance to the semi-finals of the event. He finished second in the third heat of the semi-finals, but narrowly missed out on achieving a medal by finishing fifth in the final with the same time as the third and fourth-place finishers. Phiri progressed to the final of the 100 metres in the 2016 African Championships in Athletics but withdrew due to an hip injury he sustained in the semi-finals of the event and was unable to participate in the 4 x 100 metres relay race. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he placed fourth with a time of 10.27 seconds in his heat of the 100 metres and did not qualify for the semi-finals. Phiri was the flag bearer for Zambia at the closing ceremony.