American Carl Robie and Australian Kevin Berry exchanged the World record over 200m butterfly five times between 1962 and 1964. Robie took the standard four times, the first in August 1961, and Berry five times between February 1962 and his Olympic triumph ahead of 19-year-old Robie on October 18 at Tokyo 1964.

Robie’s run started at 2:12.6, 0.2sec inside the best of Mike Troy, the fellow American who had held the first six global standards in the event after the official birth of butterfly in the 1950s. By the time Robie and then Berry were done, the event’s high bar had been hacked back to 2:06.6.

The next holder was a young man called Mark Spitz … and by the time he had his own Olympic gold round his neck, in 1972, the World 200 ‘fly mark stood at 2:00.70.

Spitz had been joint fastest qualifier for the 1968 Olympic 200 'fly final, with teammate John Ferris, with Robie equal-fourth through to the showdown. However, back then, Spitz was not the man he would become, and finished last four years before he would go on to be 1972 Olympic champion in the 200 'fly, one of his all-sports-record seven golds - a tally that would remain the gold standard onboard gold until fellow American Michael Phelps made in eight in 2008.

In between Berry and Spitz, Robie was king of the 200 'fly: he became Olympic 200m butterfly champion in 1968 aged 23, four years after silver as a teenager at Tokyo 1964. The times that year were slower than they had been in 1968, the impact of altitude the key cause.

On this day, March 18, 1963, Robie set the last of his four 200 'fly global marks, a 2:08.2 in Tokyo. His career extended well beyond that moment, and his Olympic height would not unfold until 1968.

On This Day In History - When Robie Ruled The ’Fly Waves

Timeline - The SOS Daily Trawl of official World long-course records (plus all pre 1954 standards, all pools and metrics) set this day throughout history.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Our SOS Hall of Fame plaudit to Robie in full follows...