Rio Olympics 2016: Gatlin can't understand why people are still booing him

The American sprinter who took silver in the 100-meter final on Sunday is baffled

American Justin Gatlin wasn't very comfortable with his "villain" persona on Sunday. Gatlin received a chorus of boos on Sunday as he entered Olympic Stadium for the 100-meter final to face off with long-time foe Usain Bolt.

Gatlin, who tested positive for a banned substance in his attention deficit disorder medicine, was suspended for two years, but later had the suspension reduced to one year. He didn't get why people in the stadium were booing him.

"All the issues were over a decade ago," Gatlin said at a news conference Sunday night per the Chicago Tribune. "I've been back in track and field for six years. I can understand that people want to see a rivalry between me and Usain. I'm a competitor, he's a competitor. At the end of the day, we both work hard for what we want. We both want to win ... We all have respect for each other. So I'd just like to see everyone have respect in the audience as well."

Bolt, who won the contest for a third straight time, was even shocked when he heard the crowd's reactions.

"It was surprising," Bolt said. "I've never seen it happen before. I guess some people are more vocal than others. But I wasn't focused on that. I'm here to do a job, and that's what I'm here to do."

Gatlin finished second to Bolt in the race despite holding the lead for the first 50-60 meters.