Prelims are the preliminary rounds of a competition. They serve to narrow the sheer number of participants to a semifinal or a final. There are swimming heats, or running or cycling on the track, in which the competitors qualify to proceed.
Athletes pace themselves in prelims—just expending enough to make the next round—while also dealing with the threat of elimination. Lane or heat drawing occurs by seed time to promote fairness and competition. The fastest in each of the prelim heats qualify overall, not necessarily heat winners. Prelim strategic competence involves pacing to secure a secure time while saving strength for more important rounds later in the meet.
