Walpiri track star Telaya Balcksmith, Australia's 16th Indigenous Paralympian, recently received the Australian Sports Medal for her achievements at last year's Virtus Global Games in France.

Blacksmith shared the news on social media, expressing gratitude to the Governor of New South Wales, Margaret Beasley, after attending a ceremony at Government House with friends from Sport Inclusion Australia.

"On Friday I received the Australian Sports Medal for my participation in the Global Games in France last year," she said.

"I, along with some friends from @sportincaus spent the morning at Government House with the @governornsw.

"Thank you for having us Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beasley."

At the Games, Blacksmith delivered impressive results across multiple events.

She finished fourth in the 200m, sixth in the 100m, and seventh in the 400m. In the long jump, Blacksmith secured ninth place and qualified for the final with her first jump.

Notably, she was the youngest athlete in the competition.

Blacksmith's recent performance at the 2024 Paralympics highlighted her growing potential on the world stage.

Competing in the T20 classification, she finished in the top 10 for the women's 400m sprint, securing eighth place with a strong showing.

"Definitely I want to do it again and see what happens from there. It's just amazing that I got to run in the finals…. it's the crowd and adrenalin, it's so much fun," Blacksmith said following this year's Paralympics.

Blacksmith also excelled in the long jump T20, where she eclipsed her own Australian Under 20 record by six centimetres, jumping 5.21 metres for a top 10 finish.

As the youngest athlete in her events, Blacksmith's Paralympics debut further solidified her status as a rising star in athletics.