Darko Šarović (Serbian: Дарко Шаровић, born 16 May 1990) is a Serbian medical doctor, PhD in child psychiatry, Master of Science in psychology, and former professional athlete who specialised in the short sprint events, holding a national 100m record in the under 23 category. He is a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He holds both Serbian and Swedish citizenships.
He currently represents the Swedish National Dodgeball Team in the men's and mixed categories, having been voted MVP at the European Championships and won a silver medal at the Central European Dodgeball Championships in 2019. He is the medical director for the World Dodgeball Federation.
Šarović was born in Belgrade on May 16, 1990, as an only child to parents Zorica Zarkovic and Dusan Sarovic. In 1992, he moved to Borås, Sweden. In 2009, he moved to Belgrade to study medicine at the University of Belgrade, and graduated in 2015. In 2016 he moved to Gothenburg and embarked on a PhD program in child and adolescent psychiatry. He is of Serbian, Croatian and Montenegrin descent.
Šarović's parents were both athletes competing in the highest national leagues in basketball and volleyball. His maternal grandfather was the captain of the Yugoslavia men's national volleyball team, playing the position of setter. He also has cousins in the Serbian National gymnastics and taekwondo Teams. He was previously a member of Mensa.
Šarović finished the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Sven-Eriksonsgymnasiet to receive a bilingual diploma. After high school, in 2009, he enrolled in the 6 year long Medicine and Surgery program at the Medical Faculty at Belgrade University. In 2010, he got elected as the best student having the highest grade point average at the English Medical Faculty. During his second and third years he was a student researcher at the Institute of anatomy where he investigated the effects of maternal deprivation on brain development in rats. He graduated in 2015 after defending his graduation thesis in child plastic and neurosurgery on the topic of craniosynostosis.
He has done a clinical internship with integrated research (forskar-AT) at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, and is currently a resident (ST-läkare) in radiology at the same hospital. He was the medical director and chief physician at the 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships, a physician at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships, and is the current director of medicine and anti-doping for the World Dodgeball Federation.
Besides studying medicine, he also holds Bachelors and Master's degrees in psychology and a PhD in child and adolescent psychiatry from the University of Gothenburg where his main area of research was studying autism using magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging. He has published a theoretical framework for the development of autism called the Pathogenetic Triad. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher in radiology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital where he studies social communication using hyperscanning with magneto- and electroencephalography. He is also an affiliated researcher at Uppsala University where he studies ADHD in females.
Sarovic supervises Bachelors and Masters theses in medicine (at the Sahlgrenska Academy) and engineering (at Chalmers University of Technology), and also clinically supervises and teaches medical students. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, the Anti-Doping Agency of Serbia, and the Bioethical Society of Serbia on topics such as exercise physiology, psychology, medical ethics, sports ethics, and doping.
After starting to practice swimming and gymnastics at age 4, he tried most sports and had multiple practices a day up to his late teens, when he decided to focus solely on track and field.
Played on the Regional U13 Team. He also participated in the try-outs for the Regional U16 Team. Became regional champion (Västra Götaland) with Byttorps IF's Reserve Team in the Premier Division for reserve teams. Coached the club's U13 team for the seasons 2007–2008. Was a referee for the Junior League 2006–2007.
Played in Byttorps IF in Borås. Made his debut in the senior team at an age of 14, scoring the most goals in a game that season (14). Was on the try-outs for the regional team and got a place on the team, but later lost his place. Competed at the Swedish National Championships in 2006 and was the 5th best scorer (9.8 goals per game). He also got elected as the MVP of the game in 5 of the 6 matches they played.
At an age of 13 he started playing the position of setter for the first team in the club IK Ymer, which was at the time in the 3rd division in the Swedish league. In 2006 he finished a referee course to become a referee for the 1st division for women and 3rd division for men.
Played in the club Borås Rhinos and got elected MVP offence in 2007. While playing in the club he scored 21 touchdowns and 86% of the team's points.
Sarovic started practicing track and field in 2008 in the Swedish club IK Ymer. He practiced track for 3 months as early as in 2001 and placed 3rd in the Regional Championships in the high jump event with a record of 1.25m, but soon lost interest due to the lack of coaches in the club.
He is the fifth fastest serb of all time, and the Serbian U23 record holder in the 100 m. Sarovic is a Balkan 100 m Champion, and 60 m and 4 × 100 m bronze medallist. He is also the Serbian Champion in the 100 m, 200 m (twice) and the pole vault events and Serbian U23 Champion in the 100 m, 400 m and 4 × 100 m. Sarovic represented the Serbian National Athletics Team in the 60 m, 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m.
In his first 60 m competition he clocked a time of 7.47 to tie for the 4th place at the Regional Indoor Championships. He ended the indoor 2008 season with a personal best of 7.34, recording personal bests in all 10 races.
In his first 100 m race he ran 11.60 at a division 1 meet with IK Ymer placing 2nd. The remainder of the season he traveled around Sweden to competitions trying to qualify for the Swedish U20 Championships (11.50 s). He ended the season with a personal best of 11.53 in allowed winds; 11.26, 11.28, 11.41 and 11.46 with +2.4 or more wind. Since he was close to the qualifying norm, the club decided to allow him to compete at the National Junior Championships in the 100 m and 200 m events where he placed 21st and 19th respectively.
At the end of the season he placed 3rd in the high jump event at the Swedish High School Championships; Also 7th in the 100 m and 300 mH, and 8th in the long jump event.