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Getting to know – 100-year-old Jaakko Estola, the oldest living Volleyball player

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Article Sat, Dec 8 2018
Helsinki, Finland, December 8, 2018. It is very hard to find a more experienced Volleyball player than Jaakko Estola. Today the Finn turns 100 and at this age, he is still playing Volleyball twice a week.

Estola started playing his favourite game in the early 1950’s. Throughout the years, he has won many medals from the Finnish Masters’ Championships but as of today, there are other things counting much more than medals. “The best things in my life are physical exercise and social life combined together. Without Volleyball and close friends, my life would be quite poor,” he says.

Estola has a good sense of humour and a positive attitude towards life in general. “We are not jumping and we do not play any special tricks anymore. The main thing is to be able to stand on your feet and show to younger people how healthy Volleyball is,” he laughs.



The most famous of Estola’s teammates was the former President of Finland, the late Mauno Koivisto, who passed away last year at the age of 93. “Koivisto had a very good theoretical knowledge of Volleyball as well. He always drafted our game plans,” Estola recalls.

The whole Volleyball family wishes a very happy birthday to the one of the world’s most experienced players and many more happy returns of the day!