![Big stage: Caitlin ONeil, Holly Raval and Maddison Lacey in Azerbaijan. Big stage: Caitlin ONeil, Holly Raval and Maddison Lacey in Azerbaijan.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ZQVibJ7UkRpJMEgscSkw6d/c2ba4101-30c8-4c0d-bb0f-0a9c4637d5bb.jpg/r0_0_721_873_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Illawarra gymnasts have soared to heights they never dreamed possible with a seventh overall placing at the world championships event in Azerbaijan
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Holly Raval, Maddison Lacey and Caitlin O'Neil have been competing together for less than a year, but the Oak Flats-Albion Park Gymnastics and Acrobatics Club members showed their talent with balance, dynamic and combined routines in the women's trio division.
"For a trio who was just so happy to finally be competing for Australia, we were completely mind blown to have qualified for two world finals and be within medal contention - a feat I never dreamt possible," 23-year-old Lacey said.
Their score of 26.24 was enough to secure seventh, but they finished fourth in the balance section, only narrowly denied a bronze medal by Austria after a minor 0.3 point penalty.
Lacey said she was "proud of the trio from the Oak Flats cow shed, who overcame an abundance of hardships to get to a world champs."
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