Owens, though, made the best of the situation, focusing on his studies and training with the OSU track team under coach Larry Snyder. Snyder, who thought Owens' race starts were too slow, made the athlete repeatedly practice starts that had him crouching tightly at the starting line. He also altered Owens' long-jump style, teaching him to move his legs in mid-air.
In general, a low platelet count occurs because: 1  The body's bone marrow doesn't make enough platelets. 2  The bone marrow makes enough platelets, but the body destroys them or uses them up. 3  The spleen holds on to too many platelets.
According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, a high platelet count can indicate a number of different conditions, including cancer, anemia or a reaction to medications. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) explains that there are two different types of thrombocythemia, or a high volume of platelets in the blood. Primary thrombocythemia is caused by faulty bone marrow stem cells, while secondary thrombocythemia is caused by some other underlying physical condition.