The Commonwealth Games may be seen as a step down from the World Championships or Olympic Games, but not if you are Jason Gardener.

Not only is Gardener determined to claim his first major title over 100 metres after dominating the indoor scene, but he also faces world-class opposition who would not look out of place in an Olympic final.

Defending champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis, world-record holder Asafa Powell, his fellow Jamaican and world silver medallist Michael Frater, and Ghana's Aziz Zakari all stand in the way of the 'Bath Bullet' and his dreams of gold in Melbourne.

A step down? Nothing could be further from the truth.

"Throw in Justin Gatlin (world and Olympic champion) and you'd have probably the toughest race possible," Gardener said.

"It's going to be tough with a lot of top-class opposition. I think it's about my preparation now, taking each race as it comes and staying healthy.

"Nothing can be taken for granted. I can only affect my own performances. There is a lot of talent in my event but in some there are athletes who can't make world qualifying standards who might win a medal.

"But I can only compete against who steps on to the track and I'm determined to try to bring back the gold medal.

"It's going to be an enormous challenge but I believe I'm more than capable of living up to it."

That confidence appears well-founded after the 30-year-old set two UK indoor national records in his home city of Bath in January, winning in 10.30 seconds in his heat and improving that to 10.29secs in the final.

He also won two 60m races at the same event and again triumphed over 60m in the IAAF indoor meeting at Moscow on January 25.

The shorter sprint has provided Gardener with his greatest moments of personal triumph, with three European titles and victory in the world indoors in Budapest in 2004.

But it is over 100m that he is determined to add more individual honours to go with his Olympic gold medal as part of the British 4x100m relay squad who stormed to a shock victory in Athens.

"Being thought of as an indoor specialist doesn't bother me, I'm thankful to have been very successful at something," added Gardener, who narrowly missed out on the final of the World Championships in Helsinki last year by finishing fifth in his semi-final.

"It's no easy feat to win so much indoors.

"But the 100m is the big one and I'm working hard so that I can deliver my potential.

"Last year demonstrated that things are coming on and I'm moving in the right direction.

"I had races at the end of the year where I beat most of my rivals, unfortunately they had the best of it in Helsinki."