But the diminutive gymnasts hopes his Commonwealth Games campaign can change that as he targets a Gold Coast gold medal as the next step in his career.

Remkes has emerged as a genuine gold medal contender as Games organisers celebrated one year until the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Born in the Phillippines and raised in South Australia, Remkes relocated to Canberra three years ago in a bid to help him chase international success.

His hard work and sacrifice paid off when he won gold in the vault final at the world cup event in Baku, Azerbaijan two weeks ago.

Now he is targeting a Commonwealth Games triumph in front of a home crowd and then Olympic success in Tokyo 2020.

"It definitely makes me feel that little bit more confident going into the Commonwealth Games," Remkes said.

"It makes you a bit more aware of who you're competing with and what the vibe will be like at the Games.

"For me and the other two gymnasts from South Australia, moving to Canberra was the best thing for us. We've got everything we need here.

"It would be silly to turn down a scholarship here. A gold medal is the aim, but only time will tell."

Remkes was part of the Gold Coast launch on Tuesday as the countdown begins to the Games in April next year.

The event will be a chance for Remkes to stamp himself as one of the country's best and propel him towards his Olympic debut.

Australian chef de mission Steve Moneghetti believes Gold Coast's no-worries build-up to the Commonwealth Games will keep the nation's athletes firmly focused on success.

In stark contrast to last year's Rio Olympics or the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, most venues for the Gold Coast Games have already been built or revamped for the event.

The Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre is set to be opened in May in time to host badminton's Sudirman Cup, while renovations to the Belmont Shooting Complex in Brisbane and the Gold Coast Hockey Centre are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

With Tuesday marking one year to go until the Games' opening ceremony at Carrara Stadium next year, Moneghetti says concerns over venues at previous events had certainly played on athletes' minds.

"When everything aligns like that it really does affect an athlete's psyche," Moneghetti said.

"If it's all doom and gloom then they get affected by that. When they're not hearing it and it's all positive they can focus on what it is they need to do.

"The positivity out of everything going well really does help."

The Gold Coast will be Moneghetti's third Games as the team's chef de mission.

After the challenges of Delhi and then being beaten in the medal tally by England at Glasgow in 2014, the former marathon gold medallist says he's thrilled to be at the helm for a home Games.

"It's exciting and there's certainly a lot of momentum, it's now just about making sure we just get that preparation right for the athletes," he said.

Remkes, 20, just wants to chase his childhood dream after starting gymnastics when he was five years old.

"My dad said I could do any sport I wanted to, but I could only do one. So I tried everything and then settled on gymnastics," Remkes said.

"I kept coming back from gymnastics and I guess it kicked off from there. Now it's just about taking it to another level.

"Being in Canberra gives us a chance to show off what we can do and it give you a little bit of help to give you confidence to do what you do best."

- with AAP