“I forgot to reply to that message,” McCaw told the Between Two Beers hosts.
She explained there was more to the story than simply forgetting. With the Olympics just a week away, she was reluctant to let anything distract her from hockey.
“I never wanted to let anything get in the way of that Olympic campaign,” she said.
“Not having a partner and being able to give everything at that time was just really, really important.”
Gemma McCaw (left) at the 2012 Olympics. Photo / Ross Huggett
When the podcast hosts pointed out she had left one of New Zealand’s most famous sportsmen on read, McCaw admitted she also wasn’t sure what to make of his online profile.
“I mean, he had Top Gun as his profile, like Tom Cruise, like Maverick … with the dog tags as his profile picture.”
After McCaw missed a penalty shootout in New Zealand’s semi-final loss at the London Olympics, “Top Gun” reached out again, saying he had watched the game and talked about his own experience after the All Blacks’ shock exit from the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
“He said, ‘I’ve seen you’ve missed the shootout and I know the feeling because in 2007…’ and it was quite a lengthy message about what he went through,” she said.
And again, the All Black captain was left on seen – but not forever.
Gemma McCaw with her husband, Richie McCaw, with their baby daughter, Charlotte. Photo / Instagram
“It’s like everyone you know in your life is out of the woodwork messaging you and you actually don’t have any capacity to write back to everyone.
“So again I just left it till after the Olympics when I could reply.”
The pair eventually got past the unanswered messages. They married in 2017 and now have three daughters.
The podcast’s light-hearted story emerged during a wider conversation about life after elite sport, motherhood and finding an identity away from hockey.
“After three children, at my age, I know who I am,” Gemma said.
“I’ve had to be okay with the person I am, without Gemma the hockey player or the sports person. I’m actually comfortable with that.”