The 2000 Olympics were held in Sydney, Australia only two, short years ago, but to Charles Burton, it seems like a lifetime.    Burton placed fifth in the 2000 Olympics, falling just short of earning an Olympic medal that just three months earlier sounded like an impossible feat to most wrestling fans.    Now, two years removed from those Olympic Games, Burton hopes to return to the glory of wrestling on the World stage. Last year, Burton followed up his Olympic year with a fifth-place finish at the World Team Trials. With the surprisingly-low finish, Burton did not earn a spot on the U.S. National Team, an honor earned by those who place in the top three at the World Team Trials.    "It was frustrating for me," said Burton, who is an assistant coach at Indiana University. "I expected to do a lot better, and I knew I could do better. It just happened to be one of those tournaments where nothing was going right for me."    But on the same night that the 2001 World Team Trials ended, Burton's new career began.    He began to train harder and smarter. He also re-committed himself to earning another spot on the World Team.    "There really wasn't much that needed tweaking," the former NCAA All-American at Boise State said. "I just knew I had to work harder and improve some things technically. It was sort of a 'back to the drawing board' experience for me, but it seems to be paying off. I am like the Burton of old."    Over the past year, Burton has split time between his coaching duties at Indiana and training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.    He found training partners anywhere he could, at any time he could.    In February, Burton's hard work and training paid off. He placed third in the Dave Schultz Memorial International, defeating  2001 World Silver Medalist Brandon Eggum 4-2 in the consolation final.    "That win was huge for me and for my confidence. I was able to prove to myself again that I could compete at the World level. I could not only compete, but I could win. It's not that I ever believed I couldn't, but sometimes you need to have the wins against top guys to get that winning mentality into your mindset again.," Burton said.    On Friday evening at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, Minn., Burton pulled what some felt was a major upset - again. He not only defeated Eggum in the Challenge Tournament semifinals, he beat him badly. The 9-1 decision put Burton in the finals against Lee Fullhart, a competitor Burton is all too familiar with.    "Lee and I are friends, but seeing as that we have both been eyeing the same goal, we tend to stay away from each other in the wrestling room," Burton said. "He is a tough competitor and our match should be very exciting to watch."    Burton also remembers a 4-0 loss at the hands of Fullhart in the semifinals of the Dave Schultz Memorial International. It is a loss that Burton has waited over four months to avenge.    "All losses stick in you a little bit, but especially when you make mistakes," he said. "In that match, I made some mistakes. Hopefully I have learned from those and have become a better wrestler from that loss. I think I have."    If Burton wins his Challenge Tournament finals match against Fullhart on Saturday afternoon, he will face Cael Sanderson, who won last year's World Team Trials. If Burton loses, his season is done.    "I know the importance of this match. I have been in this position before. The key is to wrestle each match as though it could be your last, but you also have to be smart about it. If I wrestle smart, I can win this thing for sure," Burton said.    Burton is also confident that if he does make the finals, he can not only compete with Sanderson, but win as well.    "If anybody remembers 2000, then they remember how big of an underdog I was then before I beat (Les) Gutches in two out of three matches," Burton said. "There really isn't much difference this year either. Everybody expects Cael to win this weight class, but I believe in myself and my abilities. I feel I can represent the World Team as well as anyone, and I plan to wrestle like it the rest of this weekend."    Burton's story is not one of rags to riches anymore. Instead, it is one of re-claiming a lost treasure. On Friday night at the World Team Trials, Burton may have found that treasure again - and this time, it may turn out to be Gold.