MARA Yamauchi admits personal ambition will prevent her from teaming up with Paula Radcliffe at the World Championships in Berlin in August.

The Oxford-born London Marathon heroine is plotting a podium finish in Berlin after storming to second with a time that slashed nearly two minutes off her personal best on Sunday.

Other nations often work in tandem at major events, but Yamauchi refuses to play second fiddle to world record holder Radcliffe.

"I’d wonder if we could help each other in Berlin," said the 35-year-old.

"At the Osaka World Championships two years ago it looked like Catherine Ndereba was the top dog and the others were her domestiques.

"If Paula and I were to do that I know who would be the top dog and who would be the dom-estique, so I'm not that sure I want to do that!

"I have to be selfish about this. I want to be the one who's being helped and if it's not like that then I'm not interested.

"I want to win a medal for myself rather than contribute to a team medal. Maybe that's selfish, but that's athletics."

Yamauchi's confidence is soaring following Sunday’s success against a field that included five of the first six finishers at the Beijing Olympics, including all three medalists.

Reigning champion Irina Mikitenko successfully defended her title in the capital and Yamauchi insists duelling with the German for first place has strengthened her psychologically.

"I'm aiming for a medal in Berlin. Maybe I should be saying I'm going to win, but you can build yourself up too much sometimes," she said.

"I'm going there to win, but if I finish in the top three I'd be happy.

"I feel like London was a big breakthrough. I didn't feel freaked out when I was running at the front with Mik-itenko.

"That's where I wanted to be. I wasn't scared of her.

“In previous races I would have thought 'what am I doing here, I'm going to die'.

"Mentally I feel that's where I should be.

"If you consider yourself to be a top athlete you do the training that's required, no questions asked."

Yamauchi insists she is reaping the rewards of being based in Tokyo, where she lives with husband Shige.

She said: "Living in Japan makes you raise your game. They have so many athletes training full time for marathons."