Presented at the Balanada Room in Ballarat last Thursday night, Tallent, 14, said she was excited and very happy to win the award.

The award was introduced to the ceremony in 1997 and recognises a promising sportsgirl.

Tallent said her biggest sporting achievement so far was finishing second at the National Championships in Canberra.

She also competed in two Australian Federation Race Walking Carnivals winning an individual silver and bronze in the under-14 2000m walk.

At the same carnival, she won two gold medals in the team event.

Tallent said she had been competing in Canberra since she was 10 and enjoyed the sport.

"It's fun and I like meeting people," she said.

She said she had put a lot of work into her walking in the past year, getting tips from brother Jared, who is a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist.

"I look up to Jared," she said.

A member of YCW, Tallent went from strength to strength in her sport last year.

She has represented Victoria at the Athletics Australian Road Walking Championships in Hobart and competed at Athletics Victoria State Track and Field Championships and Road Walking Championships, Athletics Victoria

Country Track and Field Road Walk Championships, Victorian All Schools state final and the Victorian Country Championships.

The Ballarat High School student said she would compete at the State Track and Field Little Athletics finals at Olympic Park in Melbourne soon.

Tallent, who trains up to four times a week, said her long-term goal was to qualify for the Australian racewalking squad.