By Dargan Southard From Des Moines Register

He could’ve chosen not to run given the circumstances, and everyone would’ve understood. The news Kemar Hyman received Friday night, less than 24 hours before his elite 100-meter race at the Drake Relays, is something no one should have to endure.

His brother died.

More than 1,500 miles away from where Maxwell Hyman passed in Miami, Kemar received the news in his Des Moines hotel room via phone call. His brother hadn’t been sick for too long — less than a year with lupus, Kemar said — but the disease attacked “very aggressively.”

An emotional whirlwind to say the least.

But Kemar knew what his brother would’ve wanted. He heard Maxwell’s voice in his head — “Kemar, continue” — as he contemplated what to do. When the starting gun went off Saturday afternoon, the sprinter known as “Cayman’s fastest man” was in lane seven, locked in as best he could be.

He finished seventh in a loaded field. The result hardly mattered.

“In some sense, I just felt like I needed more time,” Kemar told the Register post-race. “And then I always remember Maxwell saying, ‘Kemar, continue’ and I think he would want me to continue.

“My mom said that. I didn’t even have to say, ‘Hey, I’m coming down there.’ She was like, ‘Kemar, finish the race. That’s what he would want you to do first. And then, we can talk after.’”

Growing up in the Cayman Islands, the two brothers were extremely close with track as the glue in between. They departed the islands together for a track future in the United States — first at King College (now King University) in Bristol, Tennessee, and later Florida State.

Kemar’s career took off in Tallahassee, leading to a 2012 ACC indoor and outdoor title and a third-place finish at the 2012 indoor NCAA championships. He qualified for both the 2012 and 2016 summer Olympics. His name is plastered all over the Cayman Islands record books.

Throughout Kemar’s ascension, Maxwell was one of his biggest supporters. The two were close in age, and Maxwell provided encouragement and support whenever he could.

“Growing up, we’d always motivate each other,” Kemar said. “If I was straying off course, he’d be like, ‘Kemar, continue doing track as long as it takes.’ And he’d kind of give me that eye like, ‘Look.’ And I’d be like, ‘OK cool,’ and he’d set me back on course. So we were always there to motivate each other.

“I’m going to do everything for him. I don’t want to be sad. I want to be happy because I just remember a lot of great things from him and with him. So I’m just going to think about the happy times.”

Once Maxwell’s condition worsened, the family moved him from the Cayman Islands to Miami for more in-depth treatment. Kemar said he visited his brother a few days before coming to Des Moines, telling him one final time, “I’m here for you.”

His family had been providing consistent updates — Kemar preparing for the worst each time the phone rang. He remained cautiously optimistic things would improve.

Then came Friday’s call.

“Tonite the world lost one of the best people, go well Maxwell Hyman,” Ken Harnden, the brothers’ former Florida State coach and current Georgia assistant, wrote on Instagram Friday evening. “You will be missed, but not forgotten.”

Former Seminole Kimberly Williams, a two-time Olympian in the triple jump, shared her condolences on social media as well.

Even with the support, Kemar knows his life has been drastically altered. He maintains faith in his mental fortitude, but the 28-year-old sprinter realizes what’s ahead.

The funeral, the grieving, the emotional pain that comes with losing someone so important. Kemar will lean on loved ones, as well as the sport he cherishes.

That’s what Maxwell would’ve wanted.

“I think I can stand up for him and be strong for him,” Kemar said, “and make it through whatever I’ve got to do.

“It was very emotional — it’s still emotional now. It comes and goes, but I’m just going to try to be strong and hold on for him and hold on for my mom and everyone else.”

Dargan Southard covers preps, recruiting, Iowa and UNI athletics for the Iowa City Press-Citizen, The Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com.

IMAGE: (Photo: Ian Walton, Getty Images)

For more on this story go to: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/drake/drake-relays/2018/04/28/drake-relays-2018-kemar-hyman-florida-state-maxwell-hyman-died/561217002/