From ‘Sweet Caroline’ to ‘Hopp Suisse,’ Von Allmen steals show with downhill gold at skiing worlds

SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria (AP) — “Oh, oh, oh. So good. So good.”

The words of “Sweet Caroline” reverberated through the narrow Alpine valley hosting the skiing world championships as the crowd of 22,500 belted out the famous lyrics in celebration of Austrian veteran and home favorite Vincent Kriechmayr.

Oh no was the response from Swiss upstart Franjo von Allmen two skiers later.

The 23-year-old Von Allmen pushed Kriechmayr down a spot and grabbed gold in the marquee men’s downhill on Sunday to announce himself as the sport’s next big thing.

Take it from Marco Odermatt, the already established star of the Swiss team who took gold in super-G two days earlier and placed fifth this time.

“He can win every race,” Odermatt said.

Von Allmen trailed Kriechmayr at the penultimate checkpoint on the Schneekristall (snow crystal) course before accelerating through the last gates and soaring 52.5 yards (48 meters) — more than half the length of a football field — off the final jump.

Von Allmen finished 0.24 seconds ahead of silver medalist Kriechymayr and 0.31 ahead of bronze medalist Alexis Monney, another rising Swiss racer.

“It’s crazy,” Von Allmen said as the Swiss fans in the crowd took over with their chants of “Hopp Suisse” (Go Switzerland). “One day it’s Odermatt, the other day two other athletes from the Swiss team. It’s really fun we can push each other like this. It’s pretty, pretty cool.”

During the podium ceremony, Von Allmen was named the “Weltmeister” (world champion) by Austrian downhilling great Franz Klammer, the 1976 Olympic champion.

The host country surely would have preferred to have Klammer awarding an Austrian skier. But Switzerland has dominated the downhills on the World Cup circuit all season, with four wins and five second places in five events.

“(Odermatt) is always telling us which line he’s going to take. We’re exchanging a lot in our team and maybe that’s also why it’s working so well,” Monney said.

While Von Allmen has yet to win a World Cup downhill, he did finish runner-up three times this season. He also won a super-G on home snow in Wengen last month.

“We knew he’s good but maybe not this good,” said Stefan Rogentin, another Swiss racer.

There was a time, though, when nobody knew what might become of Von Allmen. That's because his skiing career nearly ended at age 17 when his father died and he lacked the financial means to continue racing.

But Von Allmen set up a crowd-funding project that gathered 16,000 Swiss francs ($17,600), qualified for the national C team the following year and then won three silver medals, including one in downhill, at the 2022 junior worlds in Canada.

A trained carpenter, Von Allmen still works on construction sites in the offseason in his home valley of Simmental.

“It’s important to bring something different in my head,” he said.

Several teammates described Von Allmen as “crazy” for his full-on approach to skiing.

“The second training in Kitzbuehel, he goes always 100%,” Rogentin said. “Sometimes that’s a little bit crazy. He (doesn’t) brake.”

And while they enjoy being with him on the hill, none of his teammates want to share a room with Von Allmen. That’s because he snores too loud, Rogentin confirmed.

For worlds, Von Allmen is sharing a suite with Monney. But there probably won’t be too much sleeping going on anytime soon in their two rooms.

“It’s going to be a big party tonight,” Von Allmen said.

The race did not go as planned for Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the American who had led two of the three training sessions.

Cochran-Siegle finished 13th after an error-strewn run and some heavy landings on the jumps.

“I didn’t ski fast enough,” said Cochran-Siegle, the Olympic super-G silver medalist. “I just didn’t execute.”

The top American finisher was Bryce Bennett in 10th.

After Breezy Johnson won the women’s downhill on Saturday, the American men were aiming for an unprecedented sweep.

“Ryan and I in downhill can compete for the win every single weekend,” Bennett said. “We’re missing a little bit of that confidence on race day.”

In a year, men’s skiing for the Milan-Cortina Olympics will be held on the Stelvio course in Bormio, where Cochran-Siegle has won a World Cup super-G and claimed three other top-five finishes.

But the Swiss are the early favorites for the Olympics. After all, Monney and Von Allmen finished 1-2 in the Bormio downhill this season.

“They are the team to beat right now,” Cochran-Siegle said, “and we’re just all trying to play catch-up.”

Associated Press writer Eric Willemsen contributed.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen, with his hair partially shaved off, wears the gold medal for a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen shows his gold medal for a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen, left, shows his gold medal for a men's downhill race, next to bronze medalist Switzerland's Alexis Monney, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

United States' Bryce Bennett speeds down the course during a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Ryan Cochran Siegle checks his time at the finish area of a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Alexis Monney, back to camera, bronze medalist in a men's downhill race, hugs gold medalist Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen is airborne during a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen, center, winner of a gold medal in a men's downhill race, celebrates on the podium with silver medalist Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr, left, and bronze medalist Switzerland's Alexis Monney, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Gold medalist in a men's downhill race Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen, left, and bronze medalist Switzerland's Alexis Monney, celebrate with the team, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen celebrates winning a gold medal in a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen celebrates at the finish area of a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt reacts with dejection at the finish area of a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt speeds down the course during a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Alexis Monney celebrates at the finish area of a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr speeds down the course during a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Fans hold a banner for Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen at the finish area of a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen is airborne during a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen celebrates at the finish area of a men's downhill race, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

STANSTEAD, Quebec (AP) — For more than 100 years, people in Stanstead, Quebec have been able to walk into Derby Line, Vermont to enter the border-straddling Haskell Free Library and Opera House – no passport required.

But municipal and library officials said on Friday that U.S. authorities have unilaterally decided to end the century-old unwritten agreement. Coming at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries, the decision is prompting an outpouring of emotion in communities on both sides of the border, which in places has been marked simply by flower pots.

Inside the library celebrated as a symbol of international friendship, Pauline Lussier and Chris Blais put their arms around each other’s shoulders Friday as they stood on either side of the line taped down the floor marking the border. Lussier, a Canadian, and Blais, an American met for the first time that day.

“A line doesn’t separate us, it never has,” said Blais, who held an American flag in her hands while Lussier held a Canadian one.

“Our kids have gone back and forth over this border without any problem at all ... this is all going to change now, and there’s no reason for this,” Blais added.

Once inside the library, Canadian and American citizens have been able to mingle freely across the border line drawn on the floor – as long as they return to the proper country afterward. In 2016, then-president Barack Obama hailed the symbolic importance of the library, built in 1901. “A resident of one of these border towns once said, ‘We’re two different countries, but we’re like one big town,’” Obama said.

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP, confirmed that the divide is about to become more pronounced. Starting in the coming days, only library card holders and employees will be able to cross over from Canada to enter the building through the main door on the U.S. side.

And as of Oct. 1, no Canadians will be able to enter the library via the United States without going through the border checkpoint, though there will be exceptions for law enforcement, emergency services, mail delivery, official workers and those with disabilities.

The statement acknowledged the library as a “unique landmark,” but said the border agency was phasing in a new approach for security reasons.

“Due to the library’s location, and convenience of local populations, CBP has allowed customers of the library to access its sidewalk, without inspection, for decades,” the agency said in a statement. “However, during that time, this area has witnessed a continued rise in illicit cross-border activity.”

It noted there have been a number of incidents in and around the library that resulted in apprehensions in recent years, including a person attempting to smuggle firearms in the past year.

Town and library officials say Canadian visitors without a library card will have to enter by a back door on the Canadian side, across a muddy stretch of grass. The library announced Friday that it was launching a GoFundMe to raise the estimated $100,000 Canadian (US$69,000) it will cost to build a sidewalk, new parking lot and wheelchair access.

Stanstead Mayor Jody Stone said the U.S. decision “makes no sense.” However, he said the decision from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration would not affect the close bond between the communities, which share municipal services and facilities.

“No matter what this administration does, it will not change the fact that Stanstead and Derby Line are partners and friends forever,” he said.

Several residents, some in tears, gathered at the border to denounce the decision. Penny Thomas stood on the American side, holding up a sign with a maple leaf on it that said “Keep Haskell open.”

In February, the Boston Globe reported that the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the library and repeated Trump’s taunts about making Canada the 51st state as she stepped back and forth across the line that marks the border.

According to the library’s website, Canadian visitors had been allowed to enter the library by the main entrance on the U.S. side. While passports or visas were not necessary, library officials had warned that U.S. Border Patrol and RCMP would monitor movements and could request to see identification.

Americans offer silent support as they stand on their side of the border to watch a press conference about the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Stanstead, Que., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi /The Canadian Press via AP)

Pauline Lussier, left from Stanstead, Quebec and Chris Blais from Derby Line, Vermont, hold each other's flags as they straddle the international border line inside the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi /The Canadian Press via AP)

A young girl walks over the Canada-USA international border line into Canada from inside the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line, Vermont on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi /The Canadian Press via AP)

Byron Wright, left, from Derby, Vermont speaks with Pauline Lussier, centre from Stanstead, Quebec and Chris Blais from Derby Line, Vermont as they straddle the international border line inside the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi /The Canadian Press via AP)

Byron Wright, left, from Derby, Vermont, gives Pauline Lussier, centre from Stanstead, Quebec and Chris Blais from Derby Line, Vermont, a hug as they straddle the international border line inside the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi /The Canadian Press via AP)

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is seen in Derby Line, Vt., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Penny Thomas who drove from Newport, Vt., has a tear roll down her cheek as she holds a sign on the standing in Derby, Vt., outside the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Stanstead, Que., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

A family from the United States enters the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line, Vt., on Friday, March 21, 2025. The town of Stanstead, Que., says U.S. authorities have unilaterally decided to "close the main Canadian access" to the Victorian-style library that straddles the border between the two countries. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)