Egbert Hirschfelder rowed with the coxed fours of Berliner RC. He won the 1963 West German national title and the European Championships. In 1964, Hirschfelder added his second national title, a silver medal at the Europeans, and won the gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics within the mixed German team. The crew was then elected Team of the Year in West Germany.
Hirschfelder then moved to the eights and won a gold medal at the 1967 Europeans. One year later he added another gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. This crew then carried the Olympic flag into the stadium at the 1972 München Olympics. Hirschfelder was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf in 1968, the highest sports award in Germany.
