To most people, former Wollongong Wolves and Central Coast Mariners product Josh Bingham is known as one of many football talents produced in the Illawarra.
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But to Noah Towill, Bingham is known as Uncle Josh who acts as an idol to his nephew.
While emerging as a football star, Bingham contested little athletics throughout his formative years and it’s on the track where Towill hopes to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.
A talented middle-distance runner, Towill was recently selected to represent NSW at the Trans Tasman Challenge in January, the same competition Bingham contested just over a decade ago.
“Noah was rapt when he found out, really excited,” Noah’s mother Tina Towill said.
“He’s worked very hard for this, so it’s nice to have that reward at the end.
“He has older uncles that are both into their athletics, one a long-distance runner and the other a sprinter. They are great mentors for him, so it’s great he’s able to follow in their footsteps.”
A member of Wollongong City Little Athletics Club and Kembla Joggers, Towill has made significant progress in the 800 metre and 1500m races throughout the past year.
While Bingham was a sprinter, Tina feels the middle distance races have always been the events her son is most suited to.
“He loves middle distance running, he’s really competitive by nature and really enjoys the competition. He’s an active kid, so running and him go really well together.
“He’s always been more of an endurance athlete, always enjoyed running the longer distances. His body’s built that way, long and lean, which lends itself to distance running.”
The competition will provide Towill with the opportunity to meet athletes from across NSW and New Zealand and experience high-level competition.
“It’s a great opportunity for him to compete against kids from New Zealand that he hasn’t had the chance of being up against. It’s also a nice opportunity to meet other kids his own age who love sport as much as he does.”