To qualify for Delhi 2010 the Elermore Vale sprinter needs to run 10.30 seconds for the 100 metres. At training he has been clocked at 10.20.

Putting that training performance together in a race is the key, and the 21-year-old's victory at the Macksville Gift on Saturday has given him a confidence boost to make his Commonwealth Games dreams a reality.

In his first race in seven months, he created history by becoming the first runner to claim back-to-back titles in 56 years of the 120m dash.

The indigenous flyer won his first gift with a 5.5m handicap and won this year in a time of 12.58 seconds after giving his rivals a 4.5m start.

"In the heat and semi I wasn't coming out too quick at all, and that was playing on my mind a bit," Gander said.

"In the final I had to put it all together and it happened and once I was up and running I knew I had it.

"I was confident before it started because I wanted to win it back-to-back."

Gander moved to Newcastle from Moree in 2004 to attend Hunter Sports High School and try to fulfil his dream of running for Australia.

His first major chance to make an Australian team came last year at the nationals in Brisbane, which doubled as qualifiers for the 2009 world championships in Berlin, but it ended with an injury which ruined his season.

"I went to nationals in Brisbane and came out with a strain in my hip flexor," he said.

Eighteen months ago Gander joined forces with Maitland athletics coach Tony Fairweather, who has helped him increase his weight from 68 to 75 kilograms.

Now with superior strength and speed and back to full fitness, Gander said he was confident of beating his competition personal best of 10.68 to reach the Commonwealth Games qualification cut-off.

"I ran a 10.20 at training the other day, so it's all coming to plan and I'm ready for Commonwealth next year. That's what I'm building up for," he said. "I think I'm definitely in that category."

Gander's first big chance to break into the Australian squad will be at the nationals in April in Perth.

Gander flies to Singapore in a fortnight for the Jump Start to London 2012 program, which is designed to support indigenous athletes to achieve national selection at the Olympic Games.