 In December 2005 she was selected for GB’s support scheme for elite athletes, the Lottery-funded UK Sport World Class Performance Programme.In January 2006 she took unpaid leave from the FCO to focus on preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympic marathon, and moved to Tokyo, Japan with her husband.Yamauchi won the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games 10,000m race and also ran this event at the European Championships of 2006.