She was one of the stand-out performers of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the soaring "pocket rocket" who claimed four gymnastics gold medals.

Claudia Fragapane's ascent has been as unexpected as it was dramatic.

Ever since Beth Tweddle, the triple world and six-time European champion, hung up her leotard in August last year, the search has been on to find a potential British successor. Fragapane, who turns 17 today, is a serious contender.

Fresh from a successful outing at the 2014 World Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China, during which she achieved a top-10 finish in the women's all-around competition and made two apparatus finals, the teenager was in Glasgow to mark a year to go until the city hosts the next gathering of the sport's global elite.

In person, Fragapane - who famously stands 4ft 6in in her stocking soles - seems even more dinky, her endearing, wide-eyed demeanour that of a young woman still adjusting to this new-found recognition. Her dark hair, usually pulled back in a strict bun, cascades in thick curls down her back. She is feeling a tad under the weather, bashfully apologising for a croaky voice and bark-like cough.

Once her initial shyness evaporates, a natural effervescence begins to shine through. It is a boundless exuberance which led to Fragapane's wearied mother packing the middle of her five daughters off to a gymnastics class aged six. "I was always bouncing around, wrecking the house and doing cartwheels everywhere," she says, laughing. "Gymnastics was a good way to use my energy up."

Bristol-born Fragapane stepped up to senior level in 2013, but had a low-key start due a heel injury. She arrived on the scene with a bang this year, though, her stellar rise cranking into gear as part of the silver-winning British women's team at the European Gymnastics Championships in Sofia.

At Glasgow 2014, Fragapane helped England to team gold before topping the individual all-around standings, followed by team-mates Ruby Harrold and Hannah Whelan in silver and bronze. Victory in the vault and floor apparatus finals led her to become only the second Englishwoman in history to win four golds at a single Commonwealth Games, matching the feat achieved by swimmer Joyce Cooper in 1930.

Fragapane shakes her head animatedly when asked if she had envisaged that level of success. "No, not at all," she insists. "We were hoping to get the team gold but I didn't expect the individual results. To come out at the top alongside Ruby and Hannah, who are close friends, was incredible. To then get two more gold medals was just unbelievable."

Her memorable surname comes from her father Paolo, who hails from the Sicilian village of Santa Elisabetta. Her mother, Teresa, although born in England, also has a strong Italian heritage. All five of the Fragapane children have dabbled in gymnastics at some point. "We are quite a sporty family," says Fragapane. "My two older sisters used to do gymnastics for fun. My younger sister, the one after me, did some training for a while too. The very youngest, Chiara, who is eight, is doing gymnastics at the moment."

Fragapane is rather taken with her "pocket rocket" moniker. "I do like that name," she says, grinning. "It sums me up."

She cheerily shrugs off the curious public fascination with her height. "I'm quite a small person - hopefully I'll grow," she says, sweetly. "In gymnastics, my size has been an advantage on bars because I don't hit the bottom bar and can do shape changes that taller gymnasts can't. When I was younger, though, I found it hard to swing round the bar and kept pinging off."

Tweddle was announced as the inaugural inductee to the British Gymnastics Hall of Fame earlier this week and Fragapane would not mind following in the footsteps of her childhood hero. "It would be nice to do that," she muses.

She is initially hesitant when asked about calls by Bruno Grandi, president of the International Gymnastics Federation, for an overhaul of the code of points to place less of an emphasis on difficulty and re-embrace the sport's artistic side.

Fragapane has a distinctive choreography inspired by hip-hop and break dance, which she has woven into her floor routine with mesmerising effect. Would she not like more of an opportunity to show that side off? "I feel like it would be nice to do more artistry," she says. "Some people struggle with artistry but then others struggle with certain difficulty. To even it out would be the best thing."

The 2015 World Gymnastics Championships will serve as a crucial qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, with both events firmly in her crosshairs. Beyond that Fragapane is less certain. "It all depends on how my body copes," she says. "If it feels like it has had enough and is getting too tired, I will go full-time into coaching."