Go. Just how much did the medals mean?

Fifth place on the the medal table with the giant haul of 46 medals says New Zealand was somewhat successful at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. That’s one more medal than Glasgow 2014 – whoopty doo.

The relevance of the Commonwealth Games in today’s fast-paced and wild world of sport really has to come into question.

Can you recalls the names of the Kiwis who won the medals?

And in which sports? Well done if you can, but most of those medallists will be one-hit wonders and fall out of memory and into the gaping Commonwealth Games medal abyss.

Just 53 countries belong to the Commonwealth but there were 71 teams, due to territories competing under their own flag, on the Gold Coast. In comparison the Rio Olympic Games hosted more than 200 countries and 10,500 athletes, making it the pinnacle event for many sporting codes.

The Commonwealth Games, however, misses some of the most heavily populated and best sporting nations in the world – including the USA, China, Germany, France, Spain and Japan – so who, then, were we really competing with over the last two weeks, apart from Australia and England?

Formerly known as the British Empire Games, they have existed since 1930 but in 2018 it feels like the Commonwealth Games should be consigned to the past.

It belongs there because sport has come a long way and is so much more competitive. We have better technology to help athletes reach their peak performances, we also have better technology so we don’t miss a single moment on our screens at home. Sport is so accessible, so fast-paced and so in our face that we can (and do) pick and choose what we spend our valuable time investing in.

Many people I spoke to over the 10-day event had not even tuned in, and many of them justified their lack of enthusiasm with ‘‘half the world don’t compete’’ or ‘‘It’s a feel-good event’’. It’s difficult not to agree with their opinion.

Most of the Commonwealth Games sports have their own world championships and many of the sports are repeated at the Olympics (where the world is actually competing).

The Commonwealth Games are just an unwanted distraction from the medals that really count.

New Zealand gained 15 gold, 16 silver and 15 bronze. Without trying to take anything away from those who captured them, they are 46 medals that will more than likely slip from our memories.