Dahlke stayed at the front throughout the race, never more than five metres from the lead.
”I’m really happy,” the silver medallist said.
”It was kind of a chilled race from the beginning, I felt really good today and it was like ’let’s try something new – if not here, then when?’ And it went well.”
The 18-year-old, with golden glitter on her cheeks, had a simple game plan.
”My tactic was just to go with the flow and then at the end, to try to give my best,” Dahlke said.
She will start in Friday’s 10km Interval Start Classic, but with lower expectations.
”The Mass Start is kind of my favourite thing, so I don’t know about the Interval Start, but I will try to give my best and I’ll maybe be top 15, top 20, I don’t know. I already reached my goal.”