Early, Preliminary Round of a Sporting Competition

This page is the CodyCross answer for the clue below from The 70's, Group 335, Puzzle 4 (Luke Skywalker).

Question is: Early, Preliminary Round of a Sporting Competition

and the answer is: QUALIFIER

Word Meaning:

QUALIFIER — One who qualifies for something, especially a contestant who qualifies for a stage in a competition.

Definitions from Wiktionary.