English Gardner heads to Rio 2016 with hopes of becoming the Usain Bolt of women's sprinting.

Gardner booked a maiden trip to the Olympics in style at July's US trials, a winning time of 10.74 seconds - her personal best - in the 100 metres final making her the seventh-fastest woman of all time.

The ambitious 24-year-old will therefore line up in Rio as one of the favourites for 100m glory, yet a gold medal is not her only target.

Discussing the impact made by Jamaican superstar Bolt, a six-time Olympic gold medallist and the world record holder in the men's 100m and 200m, Gardner told Omnisport: "Somebody who can step on the line with such swagger and tenacity, I admire it.

"People often can't tell you who the fastest woman in the world is. But if you ask them who the fastest man is, they'll say Usain, because Usain makes them know.

"So why can't women be just as exciting as he is? Why can't they put on a show like him? Why can't they make the crowd love them and draw them in? Why can't they have little moves and make cameras follow them?

"This is something that I've kind of worked on throughout my whole career building up to moments like this - what can I do to make me different? What can I do to make the crowd love me? That swagger allows him to be Usain Bolt on the track. And to be a great 100 metre athlete, you have to have swagger."

Many athletes seek to keep a lid on expectations ahead of major championships, but the enthusiastic Gardner is happy to reveal she has often imagined herself claiming Olympic gold in Rio.

"When I dream about having that moment, I typically dream, obviously, of my perfect race. I've dreamt it over and over again and I know exactly what it takes to get there - I just have to do it," she explained.

"The moment after, I can't even express to you how berserk I'm going to go. When a race-car driver wins his race, he pops the cork and sprays the champagne all over. I always joke around and say I'm going to be the first Olympic athlete to do that on the podium, because that's how I plan on being."

Gardner may also prove a pest - in the nicest possible way - to fellow American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who she describes as "a mentor for me since I was nine years old".

Recalling Gatlin's gold medal run at the 2004 Games in Athens, she added: "It is definitely one of my favourite Olympic memories. When he won, I felt like we won. I remember jumping around, screaming. I ran maybe 100 metres outside on the pavement.

"I usually tease him all the time and tell him that he's an old man because I can go back and say that I remember me being little watching him run."

The time may now have come for Gardner to make her own lasting impression.

The time may now have come for Gardner to make her own lasting impression.