The three events in powerlifting are:

Powerlifting is a strength sport in which athletes try to lift the maximum possible weight in three lifts:

Squat: the lifter carries a loaded barbell across the upper back, bends the knees and hips to lower the body until the hips go below the knees, and then stands up again.

Bench press: the lifter lies on a flat bench, lowers the barbell to the chest, pauses, and then presses it up until the arms are straight.

Deadlift: the lifter lifts a loaded barbell from the floor until they are standing upright with the hips and knees locked.

Each lifter gets three attempts in each lift. The best successful lift from each is added to give a "total", and the lifter with the highest total in their weight and age category wins. A "Wilks" or "IPF GL points" formula is used to compare lifters of different body weights.

Organisation:

• The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) was founded in 1972.
• Powerlifting (with all three lifts) is not an Olympic sport, but it is part of the World Games.

Para powerlifting (only the bench press) is part of the Paralympic Games. India's Sudhir won gold in para powerlifting at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Weightlifting is different:

• Weightlifting is an Olympic sport with two lifts: the "snatch" (lifting the bar from the floor to overhead in one movement) and the "clean and jerk" (lifting the bar to the shoulders, then jerking it overhead).
• The "press" was the third lift in Olympic weightlifting until it was dropped after 1972.
• India's Olympic weightlifting medallists are Karnam Malleswari (bronze, Sydney 2000, the first Indian woman Olympic medallist) and Mirabai Chanu (silver, Tokyo 2020).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Snatch, clean and jerk, and press were the three lifts of Olympic weightlifting before 1972.
• ✗Squat, snatch and deadlift mixes powerlifting and weightlifting lifts.
• ✗Bench press, curl and clean is not a standard combination.