Could you explain why someone might have a faster indoor 200m upposed to a faster outdoor 200m?
This is just my opinion, but there is no wind factor when sprinting inside and that can be the factor in this situation.
It could be any number of reasons. Among which would be the level of competition (maybe you run your indoor PR at States/Nationals/etc but never really make it that far outdoors and don’t have the same adrenaline rush of the big meet), maybe the wind is a factor as mentioned, maybe your periodization of training is incorrect and you’re peaking too much indoors and don’t have enough left outdoors.
It really could be a million different things…
If you look at some of the more successful indoor 200m runners, they have all been reasonably short. Take Cristian Malcolm for example, he’s been European Indoor Champion (not sure if he’s won the worlds), but he’s only about 5’8 5’9". So perhaps having shorter levers helps in getting around the tight, banked bends.
Good question though!!
That’s not the main reason (Frankie Fredricks does not have short legs). The indoor 200m at the highest levels is basically a bullshit event. This is because the race is started high up on the banking in the outer lanes, so the runner runs down a hill twice but up only once. This also explains why the results at the World Indoor 200s are always in reverse order of the lane assignment (that is 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,5th,6th place is from lanes 6,5,4,3,2,1 in that order) That’s why the event is being thrown out of the WICs in future.
I still have to say that going under 20 seconds indoors is one hell of a feat, even if the downsloap provides an advantage.
Local Story:
The indoor facility where I live (Moncton, New Brunswick) is only 167m long. Due to idiotic cost cutting measures when the place was built, our track is too small and the pool is 5m short of Olympic size, but that’s another matter. Going around a 167m indoor track with NO banks sure as hell makes you slow up for those corners unless you want to make your ankles snap. Of course some people want to tempt fate, and there was once this guy who was flying down the straight and suddenly realized he couldn’t cut the turn because it was too sharp, so he smashed right into the wall.
hahah!! I ran AUAA championships there three years in a row. We won the title in in the early 90’s and I managed to win a bronze in the 300m and gold in the 4x200. (Was in the lead for 275 meters in the 300m and got passed right at the very end. (went out too hard)
My legs were DESTROYED after 60 m heats, 60 finals, 300 heats and finals and 4x200 heats and finals in ONE WEEKEND!!
That track is BRUTAL!
Good memories though, the varsity track girls in that conference were SMOKING hot back then 
Cheers,
Chris