WRAPUP 3-Olympics-Swiss sky high but Austria rule the slopes

* Fischbacher wins women's super-G

* Ammann wins fourth ski jumping gold

* Slovenia protests about safety standards

By Julian Linden

VANCOUVER, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Austrian skier Andrea Fischbacher and Swiss ski jumper Simon Ammann blew their opposition away to win gold medals at the Vancouver Winter Olympics on Saturday as organisers came under fire over safety standards.

Swedish cross-country skier Marcus Hellner also struck gold in the men's 30 kilometre pursuit as the familiar strains of Europe's national anthems rang out with the cowbells and woodpeckers in the Canadian mountains.

Fischbacher unleashed the finest performance of her life to upstage her big-name rivals and win the women's super-G while Ammann demonstrated his mastery of his sport by claiming a fourth career gold and second at Vancouver in the individual large hill competition.

Ammann's victory came after Austrian team officials withdrew a threat to protest against his modified boot bindings which they thought might break the rules but officials were soon embroiled in another row over the state of some of the venues.

Questions about competitor safety have dominated these Olympics since Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed in a training run a week ago and showed no signs of abating as the Games lurched towards the halfway stage.

Slovenia lodged an official protest on Saturday after their leading cross-country skier Petra Majdic broke four ribs when she fell in a gully three days ago.

UNBEARABLE PAIN

Majdic defied doctors' orders and unbearable pain to win a bronze in the women's sprint classic, providing one of the most poignant memories of the Games, but was ruled out of the rest of the competition after x-rays confirmed the seriousness of her injuries.

"We have filed a protest with the IOC (International Olympic Committee), VANOC (Games organisers) and FIS (International Ski Federation) because we feel that conditions at the course were too dangerous in training," Slovenian team spokesman Branislav Dmitrovic told Reuters.

The protest took some of the gloss from the superb on-course action, coming just moments after Fischbacher flashed down the Whistler mountain to win the first major title of her career.

The 24-year-old produced a flawless display in a tricky event that incorporates the daredevil speeds of downhill with the technical requirements of giant slalom.

"I like a tight course and I like a difficult race," said Fischbacher, a distant cousin of retired double Olympic champion Hermann Maier.

The pre-race favourite, American Lindsey Vonn, could only manage third place, adding a bronze to the gold she won in the downhill on Wednesday, as Slovenia's Tina Maze snatched the silver to provide some better news for her angry team officials.

Ammann, who also won two golds at Salt Lake City in 2002, became the first man to win four individual ski jump gold medals, when he added the large hill title to his earlier win on the normal hill.

He won with a combined total of 283.6 points after two massive leaps with Poland's Adam Malysz taking the silver and Austria's Gregor Schlierenzauer the bronze in a repeat of the placings of the normal hill.

Saturday's protest was just the latest in a series of squabbles that continue to detract from a Games that was starting to build real momentum and live up to the promise of being one of the best ever Winter Olympics.

EXCITEMENT

The first few days were marred by unseasonal bad weather but the return of crisp blue skies and some stunning performances by the competitors have transformed the initial pessimism into unbridled excitement, both in downtown Vancouver and in the Whistler mountains.

"We are pleased after eight days, of course there are eight days left, but there is no reason to believe that those eight days will not continue as normal," IOC Executive Director for the Games Gilbert Felli told reporters.

Vonn, perhaps more than any other competitor at the Games, played a leading role in changing the mood when she defied injuries and a treacherous course to win the showpiece women's downhill on Wednesday.

The American failed to win a medal in the super combined after risking all during the slalom leg and tumbling to the snow but collected a consolation bronze in the super-G.

"I came here just hoping to get a medal and I got one gold," Vonn said. "This is just the icing on the cake."

The U.S. have made Whistler mountain their own winter playground, winning seven of the 15 medals in men's and women's alpine events so far, to head the overall medals table with six golds and the prospect of more on Saturday.

Shani Davis is the favourite to win the men's 1500 metres speedskating gold after he successfully defended his 1000m title earlier in the week while Apolo Anton Ohno was chasing an even bigger milestone in the short track.

Ohno would become the most prolific American Winter Olympics medallist if gets on the podium in the 1000m, one of two short track medals on offer on Saturday. He is currently tied with Bonnie Blair on six Olympic medals.

Hellner upstaged Norwegian world champion Petter Northug with a stunning late burst to win the lung-busting cross country pursuit.

He charged clear of a tight bunch of four skiers on the final loop to cross the line first ahead of Germany's Tobias Angerer and Swede Johan Olsson. Northug faded over the last kilometre to come home in 11th.

(Editing by Jon Bramley; To comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)