The 27-year-old Jamaican finished fourth in the 100m at last year's International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in London but failed to reach the final of the 200m.

The double Olympc gold medallist, seen as the natural heir to Usain Blake before injuries took their toll, missed the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

He had already announced he would skip the event in the Scottish city only to then injure himself in the IAAF Diamond League event in Glasgow a few weeks before the Games, aggravating a hamstring problem and pulling up in the 100m. 

Blake took nearly two years to get back to world-class form, finishing fourth in the 100m at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

He was then part of the Jamaican 4x100m relay team that won the gold medal, retaining their title from London 2012.

"I feel very good, my coach is happy, training is going great and I am looking forward to this season," Blake told Star Sports in Jamaica. 

"I kick it off with the Commonwealth Games and so I am going to start from there."

Blake's main opposition at Gold Coast 2018 is set to be Canada's Andre de Grasse, the Olympic 100m bronze medallist, who is also targeting the Commonwealth Games following injury.

"I just want to keep focused because I am over all my injuries," said Blake. 

"Leading up to the World Championships, I got an injury that cost me, but I am happy and I have been fixing everything and going forward, I know that Jamaica is going to look to me and so I am going to be a shoulder to lean on."

Blake is the second fastest man ever in both the 100m and 200m with times of 9.69sec in the 100m and 19.26 in the 200m behind Bolt's times of 9.58 and 19.19.

Blake, winner of the IAAF World Championships 100m title at Daegu in 2011, revealed that his coach Glen Mills has altered his training since London.

"Coach has changed it somewhat, he has taken a different approach to just let my body come down and just focus on my technique because even winning those last two races [of last season] in Brussels and Zagreb, my technique faltered a bit and that caused me not to run the fast times that I am capable of.

"And so I am just focusing on my technique to stay upright and to be stronger.

"The season is going to start early for me, maybe in January because I have to get things up and running for the Commonwealth Games,"