A sprinter unhampered by a chip on his shoulder

Letter from Sydney: For those of you who thought that the sub-10-seconds 100 metres was as common as the sub-four-minute mile, think again. Queenslander Patrick Johnson, at age 30, recently became only the 38th man to break the 10-second barrier.

His 9.93 seconds run in Mito, Japan, makes him the fastest person in the world this year and the 17th fastest ever.

But Patrick's life has been extraordinary from, literally, the moment of his birth. "I was born on a speed boat en route to Cairns Base Hospital. We didn't actually make it on time," he said.

His father, Patrick snr, is from Bagenalstown, Co Carlow. His mother, Pearl, was Aboriginal. Patrick was only 18 months old when Pearl died in a car crash.

After that, his dad raised him on his own.

On his fishing boat.

The bond between father and son is extraordinary. "His influence was of paramount importance from day one," Patrick jnr told The Irish Times. "His understanding of his history and background was passed on to me. I couldn't have done it without him."

His dad is not sure what age he was when he left Bagenalstown, but thinks he was around 10. He went to London with his family, but when he was 17 he was on the move again, to Tasmania. "I went as part of what was called the Big Brother movement.

"Young people were brought out to work for farmers who needed help. The farmer I was sent to was one of the worst bastards I ever worked for. His name was Badcock, too," he said.

Although he no longer has any trace of a Carlow accent, Patrick snr is proud of his roots. "I've been here most of my life, \ I've never denied the fact that I'm Irish." Pride of place is something he instilled in his son.

"I never raised Patrick to have a chip on his shoulder about being Aboriginal or Irish. I told him he was an Australian first," he said.

Asked whether, like Cathy Freeman, he will be an inspiration to young Aboriginal athletes, Patrick jnr said: "I'm proud of all my backgrounds. I'm Irish, I'm Australian, I'm Aboriginal. I would like to see more children from any background taking part in athletics."

Father and son were separated when, in his teens, Patrick got a scholarship to Aurora College in Canberra. "It was actually an overseas boarding college, and I was the first Australian to ever attend the school," he said.

Leaving the fishing boat to travel 3,000 kilometres to Canberra was a huge wrench for him. "It was tough, but it was what we had to do. That's what my father wanted me to do. He is very keen on education."

His dad confirms this. "I never realised, you know, that Patrick would ever become a sprinter, because my focus really was on education and a decent job. . . We never let distance or anything like that interfere with his education.

"I stuck pretty well close to the coast all the time, and he never missed a day of school. Whenever we got to a town, I'd always enrol him in a school, whether it was Magnetic Island or Cairns or Mackay or Bowen. He went to nearly every school up and down the coast . . .

"He'd either row himself in if it wasn't too far, or we'd put the outboard on the boat. That learnt him a little bit of independence and self-reliance," he told an ABC television programme.

One of the teachers at Aurora College was an Irishman, Pat Donagh.

"Patrick, I don't think, was ever satisfied with being second best. He liked to win, which is why I think he kept beating me at chess," he remembers.

Although his father has not been to Ireland since he left as a boy, Patrick ran in both Dublin and Belfast last year.

"Dad said to me: 'When you get a chance, go there. The best education is being there'," he told The Irish Times.

The pressure of the international running schedule meant he did not have time to visit Bagenalstown.

"I presume there are cousins in Bagenalstown. There's always family somewhere. Dad still misses Ireland. One day we will visit, and I think for my father it will be a good moment.

"I'm Australian, dad's Irish, I have the best of both worlds," he said.

The Athens Olympics next year are looming large in Patrick's life. "Yes. It will be redemption for \ Sydney \," he said. (He failed to make the final there).

"Sydney was too early for me. You are always looking to improve. Athens is the big one, but I am also aiming for the World Championships in Paris this year.

"I will be running for Australia but I will also be running in some way for my heritage, dad's ideals and philosophy."

The option of representing his ancestral homeland has been broached, however lightheartedly.

"Some Irish athletes have said that I should get an Irish passport and run for Ireland," said Patrick. He is amused to learn that several of our finest footballers have come to wear a green jersey through this route.

"I brought him up, I'm very proud of what he's done. We had adventures here there and everywhere," Patrick snr said.