The 23-year-old won the Olympic silver medal in the 200 metres at Rio 2016 and bronze in the 100m and 4x100m relay. 

"The Commonwealth Games was going to be a great opportunity to display my talents to a passionate fan base in Australia," De Grasse said in a statement. 

"I wouldn't want to go in there at any less than my best and for that reason we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Games."

De Grasse missed last year's International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in London because of a hamstring injury. 

The injury has healed, De Grasse claims, but he is not yet at full fitness and did not feel ready to try to challenge to become the first Canadian winner of the 100m at the Commonwealth Games since Ben Johnson at Edinburgh in 1986.

"My team and I feel like this is the best decision for the long term," he said.

"I will now train hard through the spring to be ready for a strong and full outdoor season."

De Grasse's injury leaves Yohan Blake as the clear favourite to become the fourth consecutive Jamaican to win the Commonwealth Games 100m.

Blake was ranked second in the world last year behind the United States' Christian Coleman with a best time of 9.90sec.

But team-mate Julian Forte was only slightly slower at 9.91, while South Africa's Akani Simbine ran 9.92 as they ranked third and fourth in the world.

The 28-year-old Blake, long predicted to be Usain Bolt's successor, arrived in Australia today to continue preparations for Gold Coast 2018, due to take place between April 4 and 15. 

"Usain Bolt has left his legacy for us to carry on and that’s what we want to do," Blake said upon his arrival in Melbourne before travelling to the Jamaican training camp at Runaway Bay in Queensland. 

"That’s what I want, to start with the Commonwealths, to take over the dominance of the sprinting world."

Blake has won four Olympic medals, including gold in the 4x100m relay at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and won the 100m at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu in South Korea.

He has never competed in the Commonwealth Games but will be seeking to follow in the footsteps of Asafa Powell, the winner at Melbourne 2006, Lerone Clarke, the champion at Delhi 2010, and Kemar Bailey-Cole, gold medallist at Glasgow 2014, as previous Jamaican winners. 

"Usain Bolt was at the track in Jamaica before I left," Blake said. 

"He said, 'If you don't win there is going to be problems'.

"I don't have a Commonwealth medal. It's very important for me to have one in my trophy case."