Sally Pearson believes she'll probably need to be faster than her London world title time to win gold at the Commonwealth Games.
She clocked 12.59sec in London last year, putting aside two years of injuries to win her second 100m hurdles world title.
After walking her home Gold Coast track for the first time on Thursday, the 31-year-old expects sub-12.50sec times in a field likely to include long-time rivals Tiffany Porter and Danielle Williams.
"Quite possibly," Pearson said when asked if she'd need to go quicker in April.
"Tiffany Porter, Danielle Williams and the Canadians are all 12.5 runners.
"We're all going to be pushing each other for that gold medal spot and hopefully it's just me at the end."
Pearson overcame wrist, hamstring and achilles injuries to win the world title in 2017 and says her preparation this time has been far smoother.
She will complete her first 100m hurdles of the season in Perth next Saturday in one of seven events, including England's world indoor titles, before Gold Coast's main event in April.
Ruling out an individual 100m tilt on the Gold Coast, the former Olympic, world and Commonwealth Games champion said the opportunity to win on home soil in her pet event deserved full attention.
"I'm going to have enough pressure to run well in the hurdles," she said of her decision to rule out the straight sprint.
"(Winning on the Gold Coast would rank) somewhere near the top; I haven't got one in my home city yet ... I should say when it happens I'll be able to tell you (how it ranks) then."
Pearson will start as favourite in what she says is a familiar and welcome change of landscape.
"I've been quite used to that for a long time; I feel normal, (my mindset) hasn't changed, just gone back to what I'm used to," she said.
"There were some hard times before the world champs, but once you're back to the top where you feel you belong it's a really nice feeling."
The revamped Metricon Stadium, usually home to AFL's Gold Coast Suns, is being expanded to hold 35,000 fans.
"It gives you a buzz just walking in and imagining what it'll be like when it's full," Pearson said.
"The crowd just lifts you and it will be tough to not give back a lot of emotion to the crowd, because you've got to stay focused.
"You can't hesitate or be distracted by anything."
The final pieces of the main stadium are falling into place with event organisers confident preparations remain on schedule, while limited tickets remain on sale for some events.
PEARSON'S ROAD TO THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES:
January 13 - Perth Track Classic
January 26-28 - ACT Championships, Canberra
February 2-4 - QLD Championships, Brisbane
February 15-18 - Australian Championships and Commonwealth Games trials, Gold Coast
March 1-4 - World Indoor Championships, Birmingham, UK
March 17 - Grand Prix, Sydney
March 22 - Grand Prix, Brisbane
April 8-15 - Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast
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