Commonwealth Games 2018: 11 medallists from Gold Coast who would've made the cut in Rio

The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games are officially done and India have plenty of positives to look back on. India surpassed their Gold tally from the previous edition, held in Glasgow, before the final day itself. Medallists rose from nine sports - Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Para Powerlifting, Squash, Shooting, Table Tennis, Weightlifting, and Wrestling.

Plenty of Indians broke the Games Record as well, starting with Mirabai Chanu on Day 1. Further, six Games Records were broken in Shooting.

Due to this amazing performance by the Indian contingent, we take a look at whether they would've made the medal cut in the Olympic Games two years ago, had they come up with the same performance. Keep in mind that we have not taken into consideration events which follow a 1v1 or a 2v2 knockout-style format, such as Badminton and Boxing.

1. Neeraj Chopra, Javelin Throw

20-year-old Neeraj Chopra was a heavy favorite going into his event - Javelin Throw. He did not disappoint, throwing a distance of 86.47m, just 0.01m shy of his personal best, to win the Gold medal. Neeraj is one of the best prospects in track and field events that India have had for years and expectations will be slightly raised two years from now at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

However, had Neeraj participated in the same event two years prior to the Gold Coast Games, in Rio, he would've ended up with a Bronze medal. His throw of 86.47m would've been 1.09m more than the current Bronze medallist, Kershorn Walcott.

2. Jitu Rai, 10m Air Pistol

Jitu Rai has been around for some time in Indian shooting. Rai did finish the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a Gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol event for Men. In the same event, compatriot Om Mitharwal finished in the third position. Jitu shot a total of 235.1, creating a Games Record on his way to the top prize.

The rules regarding some of the shooting events have changed, however, in the last two years. In Rio, each shooter got 20 shots while in Gold Coast each was assigned 24 shots. Jitu shot 235.1 after 24 shots but if we take the score of his first 20 shots, it would still land him at 202.1, enough for the Bronze in Rio, miles ahead of Chinese Pang Wei.

However, Jitu was present at Rio and was only able to finish eighth in the same event, much to the shock of Indian fans.

3. Anish Bhanwala, 25m Rapid Fire Pistol

15-year-old Anish Bhanwala became an overnight sensation in India when he won a Gold medal in 25m Rapid Fire Pistol. His score of 30 was not only a Games Record but would've possibly landed him a Silver Medal had he been present at the Rio Olympics.

Jean Quiquampoix of France finished second in the same event in Rio, with a score of 30 as well. In such a scenario, a medal is decided via a shoot-off which would mean that Anish could've possibly taken home the Bronze or Silver medal.

The 15-year-old won't be too bothered with this statistic, however, as he prepares for his potential Olympic debut in Tokyo.

4. Sanjeev Rajput, 50m Rifle 3 positions

Sanjeev Rajput became the third man to bring home a shooting Gold after Jitu Rai and Anish Bhanwala. He did so while creating a Games Record as well.

Rajput's score of 454.5 brought him a Gold in Gold Coast. His total would've also got him the third position two years earlier in Rio, presenting him with a Bronze medal.

In Rio, another Frenchman, Alexis Raynaud, took home the Bronze medal with a score of 448.4. Rajput's total at the Gold Coast Games would've put him more than 6 points ahead of Raynaud.

5. Manu Bhaker, 10m Air Pistol

Another youngster, another brilliant performance. Manu Bhaker is 16 and she already holds a Commonwealth Games Record as well as a Gold medal. Bhaker finished her event with a total of 240.9 after 24 shots, 6 points ahead of compatriot Heena Sidhu.

Going into 2020, Bhaker, along with Mehuli Ghosh and Anish Bhanwala, will be India's best young prospects in Shooting.

Comparing Bhaker's scores with those of the Rio shooters, it is clear that 20 shots and 201.7 points would put her ahead of China's Zhang Mengxue, in a Gold medal position. As hard to believe as it is, 16-year-old Bhaker would've finished on top if we compare her scores with those of the Olympians.

6. Heena Sidhu, 25m Pistol and 10m Air Pistol

Heena Sidhu joined an exclusive club when she won two medals for India in Shooting. Her first came in the 10m Air Pistol when she finished behind fellow Indian Manu Bhaker. She went one better in 25m Pistol, claiming the Gold medal and creating a Games Record in the process.

Sidhu did participate in both these events in Rio but could not finish in a medal spot. However, she did not let her defeat in Rio get to her head as she went on to win a Gold and a Silver in this year's CWG.

It is clear that Sidhu would've ended up with a Bronze medal if we compare her 10m Air Pistol scores to those of the Rio medallists.

In 25m Pistol, however, Sidhu's score of 18 after a certain number of rounds means that she would've made it through to the final two in Rio, potentially ending up with a Silver or a Gold medal.

7. Tejaswini Sawant, 50m Rifle 3 positions

This is not Tejaswini's first Commonwealth Games medal. She has been around the scene for a long time now. The veteran shooter has won medals previously, in the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. Tejaswini has two Golds from the Melbourne Games in her collection. She also has a Silver and two Bronze, all won in the Delhi edition of the CWG.

Tejaswini became the sixth Indian shooter to win a Gold at the Commonwealth Games this year. She also became the sixth Indian shooter to create a Games Record in their event.

Tejaswini shot 457.9, a total that would've been enough to secure the Bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Du li of China came in third in Rio, with a total of 447.4 after 45 shots.

8. Anjum Moudgil, 50m Rifle 3 positions

Tejaswini's closest competitor was her compatriot Anjum Moudgil in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event. Anjum wasn't too far behind Tejaswini, finishing with a score of 455.7, just 2.2 behind.

Anjum's total would've given her a Bronze medal too if we compare it to that of Du Li. She'll be looking to turn this into reality as she gets ready for Tokyo 2020.

9. Mehuli Ghosh, 10m Air Rifle

Such was the dominance of Indian shooters that Mehuli is the eighth shooter to make this list. Mehuli finished with a total score of 205.0 after 20 shots, which was the number of shots allowed in Rio. Her total is more than that of Yi Siling of China, who finished in the Bronze position two years prior to the CWG.

Ghosh also finished second in the 10m Air Rifle event. A shoot-off took place between Mehuli and eventual Gold medallist Martina Veloso after they had both shot a total of 247.2, creating a new Games Record in the process.

10. Apurvi Chandela, 10m Air Rifle

At one point in time during their event, Apurvi Chandela was ahead of Mehuli Ghosh. She shot 206.0 after 20 shots, 1.0 ahead of Ghosh. However, Ghosh outshot her compatriot in the next round to send Apurvi into elimination. There won't be any love lost between the two shooters, however, as Chandela herself was able to bag a Bronze medal.

Her 206.0 total after 20 shots means that had she done the same at Rio in 2016, she would've finished in the Bronze position as well, ahead of Chinese Yi Siling.

11. Mirabai Chanu, 48 Kg Women's Weightlifting

Weightlifting - Commonwealth Games Day 1

We finish with the woman who started it all - Mirabai Chanu. Chanu became the first Indian to grab a Gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games when she lifted a total of 192 Kg in her weight category. Chanu broke six Games Records, 3 Snatch and 3 Clean and Jerk on her way to the ultimate prize. Such was her domination that she was able to outlift the Gold medallist of the next weight category by 4 Kg.

Chanu suffered a major disappointment in Rio, two years ago, when she failed to even register a score on the board.

However, Chanu shrugged off her disappointment, going on to lift 196 Kg, a lift which would have seen her rank 2nd at the Rio Olympics, winning her a Silver medal.

Edited by Arvind Sriram