The impressive athlete never expected to be named the junior sports winner.

"I did not know I was going to win," she said.

"I was shocked to win because I was up against able bodied athletes."

Karlee has an International Paralympic Classification of T11 for vision impairment and requires a guide runner when she competes.

The 17-year-old Shoalhaven Heads resident said it was an honour to win such an award.

Karlee has won a mountain of medals over the years and rates her most recent award very highly.

She said it was high on the list as one of her proudest achievements.

The star runner, as an elite athlete and Year 12 student at Nowra High School, now has to juggle her sporting and academic schedules this year.

"I will be focusing on both the HSC and athletics and trying to find that balance," she said.

Karlee, on the weekend, took part in the ACT Championships and returned home with two great results.

She placed second in the 100 metres and third in the 200m which was impressive considering the sprints were in the open women's section.

"I ran some pretty good times," she said.

The busy athlete is now preparing for the NSW Juniors in February and NSW Opens in March, both at Sydney's Olympic Park.

Olympic Park is a venue Karlee knows well and she hopes to do well at both the NSW events.

Karlee's guide is her coach Matt Rawlings who gets the best out of the champion runner.

"Matt talks to me as we go around the track and we are really in sync with our stride lengths and our arm movements," she said.

Matt leaves the race up to Karlee but tells her things like when they are coming up to a bend and heading into the straight.

Karlee has taken part in her chosen sport for many years and is always prepared to offer advice to other sportspeople.

"My advice to others would be to not give up and to believe in yourself," she said.

Her ultimate aim is to represent Australia at the Paralympics.

She is aiming for 2024 in Paris and knows what is needed to reach this goal.

"I have to keep training hard and I hope to achieve the qualifying standards," she said.

Karlee, at the end of the day, still loves athletics and she has made many friends in the process.

"We compete against each other but we are all still close friends," she said.

She also loves to compete and win.

Karlee, at a club level, is a member of Athletics Wollongong.

The athlete has represented NSW at a national level in athletics and cross-country.

The Shoalhaven teenager also takes a training and mentoring role with Guide Dogs NSW and has represented others with vision impairment in local media promotions.

In a statement from Shoalhaven City Council Karlee was described as "a true ambassador for the vision-impaired community and all people living with disabilities".