For many other athletes it would have been, the Commonwealth Games a mere afterthought.

But not Barber.

A meticulous planner, the Canberra javelin star sat down and mapped out her season earlier this year.

The Commonwealth Games, likely to be her last, were given equal status to the World Championships.

"This will be a really nice way to round out my Commonwealth Games meets, have a really nice story to end it with," Barber said.

"Performing well here is definitely one of my goals for the season. I'm looking forward to channelling the energy from the World Championships."

The quadrennial competition kicks off early Friday morning in Birmingham. Australia has sent 435 athletes, its largest team to an overseas Commonwealth Games.

While the event lacks some of the prestige of the Olympics, it marks a crucial opportunity for athletes to gain a taste of competition on the international stage.

Barber leads the Canberra charge, with fellow athletes such as Evan O'Hanlon and Angela Ballard eyeing gold on the track.

Kookaburras star Andrew Charter is looking to lead the Australian men's hockey team to their seventh-successive Commonwealth Games title.

Sharni Williams and Corey Toole enter the women's and men's rugby sevens tournaments at different ends of their careers, but the duo each have a point to prove when the events kick off on Friday.

Dan McConnell and Zoe Cuthbert will line up for the men's and women's mountain bike competitions, respectively.

While the Games commence on Friday morning, Barber will have to wait until next Sunday to launch her bid for gold.

A victory would complete the medal set, having won bronze in Glasgow in 2014 and silver four years ago on the Gold Coast.

The scheduling of the javelin event has provided Barber with an opportunity to fully savour last week's World Championships victory before she resets and focuses in on her next competition.

The win saw Barber became one of just four Australians to claim two world titles. She now sits among the greats of the sport, alongside Cathy Freeman and Sally Pearson.

It's an honour that is yet to sink in, but the athlete is determined to ensure it does not distract from her next goal.

"There's going to be a shift in focus from the World Championships and the high I'm coming from," Barber said. "I will need to narrow in a little bit on this next week.

"I have some training to do before I go into the Commonwealth Games. I'd like to go in there with the same confidence I carried into worlds and I'd love to see myself on top of the podium."

While the short turnaround between the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games is a unique situation, it's not the first time two major events have been placed so close together.

Barber has spent the past few years of her career focused on managing her body and she's confident it has her well-placed to replicate her World Championships performance in Birmingham.

"We've done it before in terms of the way the season has played out with Diamond League meets straight into a major championships. I'll use a similar approach.

"I'm now feeling good with a big 66-metre throw under my belt, there's not too much I need to go chasing. I'll be careful about managing my body, I'll be smart about how I train. The throw is there, it's now about allowing myself to access that in the next competition."

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