Deanna Syme Tewari: Athlete, teacher, coach, legend

Bengaluru: Deanna Syme Tewari's name might not strike a chord for a majority of those in this generation, but peel back time gently and you will notice the international athlete's indelible impact on the sport in Bengaluru. 

Deanna, who passed away in Dubai due to age-related illnesses at 85-years-old, is part of an oft-forgotten legacy which takes its roots in Benson Town.

Daughter of Phyllis Syme and Cyril Syme, both expert sprinters in their time, Deanna had the innate qualities to become an exceptional athlete. It also helped that a majority of her family, especially on the maternal side, was into sports.

The most famous of these illustrious relatives was her aunt and famed high-jumper Marjorie Suares, who represented India in the maiden Asian Games in 1951 in New Delhi. Her uncle Arthur Suares was a national level boxing champion.

Given this pedigree, Deanna would participate in athletics at St John's High School first before switching to St Francis Xavier's High School in Cleveland Town. She participated in the sprint events and also fancied herself on the long jump pit.

She eventually moved to Mount Carmel College to pursue sports and ended up representing Mysore University in the Inter-University meet in 1956.

As her confidence grew, she represented the State in the National Athletics Championship in erstwhile Bangalore in 1957, and won the long jump gold, leapfrogging aunt Marjorie's record. 

But her finest moment came in the 1958 National Games where she set a national mark by recording 17 feet and 8 inches for the gold. It would be a couple of decades before Reeth Abraham would go past that mark.

The National team naturally came calling and she ended up representing the country in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. She even was the torch bearer for the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. 

Eventually, however, Deanna packed up her athletics ambitions and became a history teacher in erstwhile Calcutta before returning to Bengaluru to teach the same at the Sophia Girls' High School. She also doubled up as a sport teacher in both of these stints before moving to Dubai in 1993.

There's little known of Deanna thereafter, but the City doesn't forget.